Simply Irresistable
by DarkElements10
Summary: -COMPLETED- "There's nothing more irresistible to a man than a woman who's in love with him." And when it came to Dak Zevon, all he wanted was for Rhuben Jackson to reciprocate his feelings towards her. But, even the teen icon has temptations that could get in the way.
1. Preface

**Simply Irresistible**

**Summary-With teen icon, Dak Zevon, this term was used a lot to describe him. And for Dak, there was only one girl he found irresistible; Rhuben Jackson. But, she hated him. There's a very fine line between love and hate. Usually when you think you hate someone, its misplaced attraction. Dak/OC  
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><p><strong>Preface<strong>

_"I thought you were hanging out with your girlfriend, tonight."_

_Dak Zevon made a face before turning up the volume of the TV to drown out his sister, Lizzie Zevon's, voice. He didn't have to look over at her to know that she was smiling smugly at him._

_"A: she's not my girlfriend, not officially anyway, and B: wipe that look off your face before I do it for you," he muttered._

_"Touchy, touchy," Lizzie commented. Dak made a noise of protest when she grabbed the remote, muting the TV. "What's the matter, bro? I've never seen you this mad before."_

_"Nothing," Dak replied, reaching for the remote. Lizzie pulled it out of his reach, quirking an eyebrow. "Don't worry about it."_

_Lizzie let out a huff of annoyance. "I know you and Rhubes got into a fight," she commented and Dak's eyes narrowed. "Katie told me."_

_"Figures," Dak all but snapped. "Which means, Rhuben told her siblings, and one of them told Katie. None of you can keep a secret." He let out a heavy sigh, running his fingers through his hair._

_"What did you guys fight about?" Lizzie asked, moving to sit on the couch next to him._

_"I don't even know," Dak replied with a shake of his head. "One minute, we were having a good time, and the next, I was surrounded by fans. And then we just started yelling at each other." He swallowed thickly, making a face at the taste in his mouth. "She said she had to tell me something. I think it was important."_

_Lizzie suddenly looked away from him, chewing on her bottom lip. Dak turned off the TV and peered at her. "What is it?" Lizzie didn't reply, she just started to twist her hair around her finger. "Elizabeth Zevon; you tell me what's bothering you right now."_

_"You can't tell Kendall or James or any of them. Only Logan, Katie, and I know," Lizzie said in a warning tone. She had lowered his voice and leaned forward, giving Dak a look that meant she was serious. Dak frowned, sitting up in his seat, crossing his legs underneath him. "You can't tell Mrs. Knight, or mom or dad, and especially not Ronan."_

_"Ok," Dak replied, nodding slowly._

_"I mean it, Dak, it's really important," Lizzie reiterated. "Swear to me."_

_"Oh my god, Liz," Dak commented. "Is it about you? Are you ok?"_

_"I'm fine, but no, it's not about me," Lizzie replied slowly._

_"The…the McGuires?" Dal slowly asked. Lizzie nodded looking torn between whether or not she really was going to tell her brother what was wrong. "What is it?"_

_"They've been seeing Robert while he's been in rehab," Lizzie slowly replied, practically spitting out the words through clenched teeth. She watched her brother's face slowly turn from a blank look to a shock, fear, anger, and then worry. "I know."_

_"But…they can't!" Dak stammered, jumping to his feet, starting to pace. "He could do something. He could hurt them. Why are they doing it?" He paused for a moment, clenching his hands into fists before he let out a breath of air, his shoulders dropping. "Damn it, why didn't she tell me?"_

_"They want answers," Lizzie replied simply. "They want to know why he did that to them."_

_"That's stupid!" Dak cried. "That bastard didn't even give an explanation in court."_

_"Look, Dak, it may be stupid to us, but I really don't think they're actually going to get any form of closure on that part of their life until they actually get the answers they want," Lizzie replied, suddenly looking tired._

_Dak glanced at her and suddenly realized how much she had to have grown up throughout the whole ordeal with Robert Jackson. He always took the time to protect her, to look out for her when his parents weren't around. He never actually realized that she wasn't a kid anymore, no matter how much he wanted to protect her._

_He let out a breath of air when Lizzie added, "I've been wanting to tell you that for a while. It's why they've been acting so weird lately."_

_"That must be where they were when Ronan called looking for them," Dak replied, snapping his fingers. "When they said that they went to the mall to look for his birthday present." He ran his hands over his face. "Why didn't I notice something was wrong?"_

_"Because you love Rhubes, but everyone knows that," Lizzie replied, waving her hand in the air. Dak rolled his eyes. "You don't want anything bad to happen to her. That explains why you've been so out of it lately. Do you drink to cope with your frustrations over her?" Dak shifted n his seat when she gave him a knowing look._

_ "I just…what if he does something?" Dak asked in a quiet voice._

_"They say that he's changed," Lizzie replied, barely believing the words that came out of her mouth. "They say he's nicer now and he's apologized for what he's done." She started twisting her hair around her finger again. "I'm just scared that he wants back in their life."_

_"It'd only be for money no doubt," Dak spat._

_Lizzie shrugged and started to chew on her thumbnail. "I think they see him around the city." Dak clicked his tongue and knocked her hand away from her mouth. "I just…I have a bad feeling about it. I mean, they're clearly not over what happened. I don't think they truly will be." She gave him a curious look. "Is that what she wanted to talk to you about?"_

_"I don't know." Dak shook his head, suddenly looking angry again. "It's a stupid idea," he muttered, setting his jaw. "They don't get that they're just going to get hurt. They're not going to get the answers they want."_

_"Look, bro," Lizzie placed a hand on his knee. "I understand that you're worried. But, don't you think right now she needs someone that will listen to her even if she knows her idea is stupid?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "I mean, Patrick and Noah do dumb things all the time—well, mainly it's Patrick—but I don't go off on them unless I really need to."_

_"And you don't think I needed to?" Dak asked, his eyes narrowing. "That guy is dangerous, Liz. If he hurt them once, he can hurt them again." He let out a curse, shaking his head. "I should tell Ronan. I am going to tell Ronan."_

_"No, you're not," Lizzie replied, shaking her head. Dak scowled at her and reached for the phone lying on the table. But, Lizzie was faster and she scooped it up before he could lay his hands on it. "You're not telling him."_

_"Give me the phone, Liz," Dak said, reaching out his hand for the phone._

_"Dak, if she's mad now, imagine how mad she'll be if she finds out you told Ronan," Lizzie said with an eye roll. "For someone so smart, you're really stupid sometimes. Rhubes—hell, all of them would flip their lid if they found out. You think Riley makes snarky comments about you now—save for the fact that they're jokes—she'd really rip into you. Rhubes wouldn't trust you, Patrick and Noah wouldn't talk to you, and well, you never know with Sydney." Dak chewed on his bottom lip. "Just trust them, D. Like Have faith that nothing bad will happen."_

_As soon as she said that, the doorbell rang. A feeling of dread suddenly washed over Dak as he exchanged glances with Lizzie. He pulled himself up off the couch and made his way into the foyer, Lizzie following right behind him. As the doorbell rang a second time, he twisted the door knob and pulled the door open, blinking when he saw Rhuben standing on the stairs._

_"What are you doing here?" he asked, half out of shock and half out of anger._

_"Uh," Rhuben glanced around the yard. "I don't really know, actually." She gave Lizzie a brief smile. Lizzie's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked the older girl over._

_"Your cheek," she pointed out, noticing that the raven haired girl wasn't looking directly at them. Lizzie had spotted a bright pink mark on part of Rhuben's partially concealed face. Rhuben let out a heavy sigh, dropping her gaze to the floor before turning her head to the side. Dak's eyes widened and Lizzie let out an audible gasp when they saw how pink the skin was. There was also a slightly dark reddish, purple marking in the center of her cheek as well. The area around her left eye looked bright pink as well. "I'll get the first aid kit."_

_"What happened?" Dak asked in a low voice as soon as Lizzie hurried off. "Does Logan know?"_

_"I-I shouldn't have come," Rhuben stammered, stepping backwards. "Sorry to have disturbed you guys. I don't know why I'm here."_

_"Bella, stop," Dak hurried forward, grabbing her arm. She slowly turned back to face him and he swallowed thickly, reaching out a hand to lightly touch her hurt cheek. "Did he do this to you? Robert?" Rhuben slowly nodded, tears sliding down her cheeks. Dak's shoulders slumped. "Aw, Bells."_

_"It was stupid." Rhuben burst out into tears. "I don't know why I wanted to go so bad. I don't know what I was thinking."_

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><p><strong>And that's the "first chapter" to this fic. Lizzie is technically an OC of ours as well, and kinda not at the same time. Curt Hansen (who plays Dak Zevon) has a sister in real life, so we decided to have Dak have one so Katie could have a best girl friend her age (and to round out the Patrick, Katie, Noah, group as Sydney tends to float around everyone). <strong>

**Anyway, this is actually also a scene you'll see later on in the story. I've been trying to write this story for a while, and I'm glad to finally be able to post it for you guys. BTR, DE, Jo, Camille, Stephanie, WayneWayne are in here for friendship purposes and they may have small romance plot lines as well. But, this is mainly a Della story. I'm thinking of doing a Della/Wiley (Dark/Rhuben and WayneWayne/Riley) story as well.**

**I hope you guys liked this.**

**PS: Adrenaline Rush will be updated again soon.**

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	2. Only Wanna Be With You

~**Only Wanna Be With You~**

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><p>Dak Zevon let out a heavy sigh as he leaned against the front door, repeatedly hitting the back of his head against it. He glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time before running his hands over his face and calling for his little sister.<p>

"Elizabeth Zevon, would you hurry up?" he shouted. "We're going to be late. _Again_."

He looked up at the balcony that overlooked the foyer and rolled his eyes when he saw "Lizzie" walk over, planting her hands on her hips. "Unlike with _your_ ugly mug it takes time to look presentable, _bro_," she drawled, arching an eyebrow.

Dak arched one back. "What are you wearing?" he asked, looking at her bright pink midriff and jean short shorts. "Go change."

"Daaaak," Lizzie whined, stomping her foot.

"Don't 'Dak' me," Dak commented with a shake of his head. "Go change."

"You know I'll just be showing more skin in my bikini," Lizzie pointed out with a smirk.

"Something I try hard not to think about, believe me," Dak commented in a monotone. "Go change and hurry up. Consider my foot down."

"Ugh!" Lizzie rolled her eyes before spinning on her heels and marching back into her room.

Dak rolled his eyes as well. _Little_ s_isters_. Despite the fact that he got into those kinds of arguments with his sister pretty much on a daily basis, he loved her to death and would do anything for her. "Hurry up!"

He even remembered when his parents first told him that he was going to have a baby sister that he was excited and had planned way in advanced what he would teach her and that he would always be there for her whenever he needed it. Despite their arguments from time to time, he liked to think he kept up with his personal promise. Especially with her about to turn 15, he was more likely to be overprotective of her, but she knew that it was coming from a good place.

"If you weren't in such a rush to see your _girlfriend_, which I don't blame you, I'd be all up in your face right now," Lizzie commented to herself as she made her way down the stairs, shouldering a bag. She shook her head as she pulled a pair of sunglasses out of her bag and placed them on her face.

"Not like you aren't anyway," Dak replied reaching out to mess up her blonde hair. Lizzie had blonde hair, while Dak had brown hair, just like their mom and dad, although they had the same hazel colored eyes. "Come on, let's go. And she's _not_ my girlfriend." He pulled open the front door and ushered her out. "Yet. Unfortunately."

The "she" both of them were referring to was Rhuben Jackson, newly Rhuben Jackson-McGuire, of the famous Australian family band, the DarkElements. Ever since Dak had met her and her brothers and sister, he had instantly fallen for her and hard. Even at the age of 19, and after practically chasing her for 4 years, did he still have those strong feelings for her. She knew that he liked her, considering he pretty much flirted with her every chance she got, but only saw him as a friend in the business.

Dak, Lizzie, Rhuben, and her siblings, Riley, her twin sister, Patrick and Noah, her twin little brothers, and Sydney, their baby brother, made up a good group of friends. But, their group got bigger when Big Time Rush, made up of Kendall Knight, James Diamond, Carlo Garcia, and Logan Mitchell, arrived in LA and Dak was asked to help them out as well. He took the job as he didn't have anything else to do at the time, and because he thought it would impress Rhuben who's childhood best friend, Logan, was in the group. And then their group of friends got even bigger when Dak met Wally 'WayneWayne' Dooley after he was kicked out of Big Time Rush and the four boys introduced Dak to Kendall's younger sister Katie Knight, now Lizzie's best friend, and their friends Jo Taylor, Camille Roberts, and Stephanie King.

"TigerBeat would beg to differ," Lizzie commented as Dak unlocked the car. She pulled open the passenger seat door and climbed inside, throwing her bag on the ground behind her. "You two are in there again."

"What is it this time?" Dak asked as he started up the car. He glanced briefly behind his shoulder before backing out of the driveway, and making his way down the road towards the beach.

"Same old, same old," Lizzie replied, waving her hand in the air. "They were commenting on the fact that you guys went to Pinkberry the other day." She then snorted and rolled her eyes. "They're obviously trying to make something out of nothing, because WayneWayne, Noah, and I were there, too. They just _conveniently_," she used air quotes around the word, "never got any pictures of us."

Dak just merely shrugged. "It's the price you have to pay," he commented. "Besides, I kinda deserve it considering they always ask me about her in interviews and I never shut up about her anyway." His mouth twisted to the side. "I'm kinda surprised she still considers me a good friend though."

"Only because you've always been there for her," Lizzie pointed out. "I mean, she may have never told you about…her abuse or anything, but you made her feel like a normal girl despite that fact when you found out about it." She gave a shrug. "Patrick, Noah, and Sydney say all they want is to feel like normal kids. Which was why they were so taken with Ronan; he treated them like the age they were and not as a way to bring him money." She then lightly punched him on the arm. "So the way I see it, she can't ever get rid of you."

Dak couldn't help but grin.

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><p>"So then, she went and told mom and dad and they wouldn't stop teasing me about it for the longest time and—you're not listening to me are you?" Dak blinked and pushed his best friend, WayneWayne Dooley's, hand away from his face. He turned towards his friend and saw WayneWayne looking back at him, slowly shaking his head. "I'm trying to explain to you the latest anecdote from my psycho family and you're not even paying attention."<p>

"Sorry, dude," Dak replied, running his fingers through his hair. He gave a small grin. "You know I can't help it."

"Of course," Jo Taylor commented from where she was stretched out on her beach towel, sun bathing. She pulled down her sunglasses and peered at Dak. "Dak doesn't pay attention to anyone else when Rhuben's involved."

"It seems like the rest of us just aren't here," Camille Roberts added, looking up from her book. "Now, I've heard the phrase out of sight out of mind many a times, but I don't think this is what they meant."

"Ha ha," Dak commented, rolling his eyes. "Don't you two have a couple to try and get together or something?" That was true. Both Jo and Camille took pride in the fact that they were the group's matchmakers.

"Why do you think we're here talking to you?" Jo replied with a smirk. She looked out across the beach and over at Rhuben who was playing sand soccer with Kendall, Carlos, and Sydney. She was easily the most skilled out of the guys. Riley, Patrick, Noah, and Lizzie were in the ocean surfing. Stephanie was at the water's edge video taping her friends surfing while James, Logan, and Katie played around in the water. "Although, I'm pretty sure everything's going in one ear and out the other."

"Ouch," Dak commented with a frown. He knew his friends were joking anyway. . Kick a man when he's down. And for your information, I wasn't even looking at her this time."

"Sure you weren't," WayneWayne replied with a snort.

"If it helps, I think you have a chance with her," Camille said as she folded the corner of a page in her book before closing it.

"Really?" Dak asked, raising his eyebrows and Camille nodded.

"You guys have a lot in common," she replied. "You both have younger siblings to look after, you're successful singers, and you were featured on some of the Jacksons' songs over the years as well. It's a match made in heaven if you ask me."

WayneWayne made a grunting sound and tilted his head to the side as he watched the soccer game wind down. "I still can't believe they had to go through all of that," he muttered, motioning towards the scars on Sydney's back. "It's just surreal y'know?"

"I'm surprised they went through it that long without saying anything to anyone," Camille commented with a shake of his head. "And poor, Syd. He's had to deal with it practically since he was born."

"I just don't get how they can make jokes about it all the time," Dak replied, leaning back on his arms. "It just doesn't seem right."

"It's the way they deal with it, that's all," Jo replied. "They hate bringing it up, but if it does, they just talk and laugh about it."

"I couldn't even begin to imagine everything they went through," WayneWayne said as he got to his feet. "And I'm not going to dwell on it either. I'm going to go drown myself now because I'm burning up." He then winced. "Bad choice of words."

"No kidding," Camille commented getting to her feet. She adjusted her bikini top and kicked off her sandals. "Wait for me."

"You coming?" Jo asked, getting to her feet as well. "Everyone else is in the water. Looks like Carlos has initiated a water fight. I challenge you and Lizzie to a game of chicken against me and any guy of my choosing."

"Yeah, I'm coming," Dak replied, getting to his feet as well. He smirked at her as he started to swing his arms, stretching. "But, you better watch out. I'm the chicken king." He paused, his eyebrows knitted together. "That didn't come out right."

"Mmmm, much like everything when you're around Rhuben," Jo said with a teasing smile. Even after all this time she couldn't believe she had become good friends with Dak Zevon let alone joke around with him.

"Ok, you're going to pay for that one."

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><p>Dak was lost in deep thought as he walked across the beach, the water gently brushing over his feet. He sighed at the pleasant of the sand underneath his feet and the water gentle tickling around his ankles calms him and puts his mind at ease. He watches as Sydney skipped and spun beside everyone, more in the water than on the sand like everybody else.<p>

Dak smiled as he watched the small boy. _You'd never know he went through all those years of abuse with how happy he looks_. And with that thought, his pace slowed as he turned his head to look at Rhuben who was falling behind the group, staring out over at the water. He couldn't help but watch her.

It fascinated him how the water could be so troubled on the surface and yet so calm just beneath it and have the teenage girl be the complete opposite of that. She had always been that way to him. The surface she showed the world was the (somewhat, it depended on the situation) happy and calm young teenager with no worries in the world. But underneath the calm surface there is a storm going on.

He let out a breath of air before making his way over to her. He lightly touched her shoulder and she jumped, whipping her head around to face him. "Are you ok?" Dak peered at her. "You look…out of it." He paused. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm not in the mood, Dak," Rhuben replied in somewhat of a monotone.

"Ok," Dak shrugged and immediately increasing his speed to hurry up to his other friends. "Catch ya later."

"Ok?" Rhuben repeated, flinging out an arm, stopping him. She gave him a confused look. "What do you mean 'ok'?"

"You just said you're not in the mood to talk," Dak replied with a shrug. "And you don't want to talk. And I know you well enough by now to know that when you say that, you mean you want to be left alone."

"But—" Rhuben stopped, looking even more confused. "I don't…want to?" She cleared her throat and a passive look crossed her face.

"Suit yourself," Dak replied, relaxing into a smile. The two of them started walking again. _Now we're getting somewhere_. _Nice move, Dak. Nice move. _"Oh. You've got some seaweed in your hair." Rhuben immediately started patting her head, looking for the ocean plant before she started picking some out. "You're missing."

Dak brought up his hands, significantly larger than Rhuben's delicate ones, and moved his fingers through her hair, helping brush out the missed pieces. His fingers brushed over hers and he used every ounce of strength in his body not to smile. "What?" He felt Rhuben tense under his hands and lowered his gaze so they reached hers.

Rhuben opened and closed her mouth a few times, looking right back at him. "…Nothing."

Dak brushed his finger over a spot on the back of her neck before removing his hands from her hair. "You know I'd never do anything to hurt you, right?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Rhuben's lips witched and she turned to hurry after their friends who were farther ahead, most likely to give them privacy. "One of the things I like about you, Zevon."

Dak smiled.

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><p><strong>So, I was basically using this chapter as an introduction to Dak and his life. The next one will be centered on Rhuben. I hope you guys liked this one.<strong>

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	3. Can't Get You Outta My Head

**~Can't Get You Outta My Head~**

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><p>Patrick Jackson-McGuire pressed his headphones tightly against his ears as he sang into the large, round microphone in front of him. His eyes were squeezed shut as he put as much emotion as possible into the words he sang, his face a bright red from the effort. He bobbed his knees and his head to the beat of the song as his siblings, Riley Jackson-McGuire on the bass, Rhuben Jackson-McGuire and Sydney Jackson-McGuire on guitars, and his twin, Noah Jackson-McGuire on drums, played the song.<p>

"Alright, that was good," their newly adopted father, Ronan McGuire said over the microphone, waving his kids out of the booth. He pressed a few buttons on the soundboard in front of him before slouching in his seat, turning to face his kids. He reached out a hand to slap Patrick a high five. "Great job, Pat. I can tell you worked hard on this one."

"Was I pitchy this time?" Patrick asked as his face slowly turned back to its original color. He started running his fingers through his hair, trying to fluff up the area on the sides of his head where the headphones flattened his hair.

"Not as much," Ronan replied, the side of his mouth curling as he waved his hand back and forth. "No, you slowed down a little bit on the bridge." Noah, who was now sitting on the couch in the office, made a quick face but nodded. "Rhubes, Syd, make sure you have a talk over who's going to do the harmonies and be sure to have that part down the next time we rehearse."

"No problem, Ronan," Sydney replied, giving a thumbs p and his dimpled smile.

"And Riles, great job on the bass," Ronan concluded, looking at his eldest, or at least eldest in the room, child. "You've picked up your part quickly despite suddenly changing to it."

"Just because I haven't played it for a while doesn't mean it'd be hard," Riley commented with a smirk.

Ronan rolled his eyes. "A guy tries to give a compliment and this happens," he commented, rubbing his forehead. "This song is sure to be a hit. Not only does it show how you've all grown as musicians in general, but it's really pushing you guys as singers as well."

"If we do the song enough, maybe Patrick would lose his voice and actually be quiet for once," Sydney commented, giving his older brother a cheeky smile as Riley, Rhuben, and Noah burst out laughing. Ronan tried to give Sydney a stern look, but his lips twitched into a smile instead.

"Ha ha," Patrick rolled his eyes as he started to twist the silver band around his right ring finger, around in circles. He licked his lips, bringing his lip piercings into his mouth, biting down on them slightly before cocking an eyebrow. "I bet we all know who Rhu-Rhu would be referencing if she was singing this song."

Rhuben rolled her eyes as all the attention immediately went to her. It seemed like nowadays the only thing that her siblings wanted to talk about was the fact that Dak Zevon had a very obvious crush on her. "Very funny," she commented dryly.

"So tell me," Patrick continued with his lopsided grin. "How was it, having _the_ teen icon run his fingers through your hair?"

"Why?" Sydney asked, a cheeky smile making its way onto his face. "Do you want him to do the same to you?"

"Shut up, Syd," Patrick said as he lifted his foot. He placed it on Sydney's back and gave him a gentle nudge. Sydney wrapped his arm around Patrick's leg, giving it a hard tug.

"Watch out for the table," Ronan cried as Patrick started to fall. He cringed as Patrick hit the ground, nearly hitting the corner of the table with his head. "Be careful, guys."

"Answer the question, sis," Patrick said as he tried to pull his leg out from under his brother's arm.

"About as enjoyable as root canal," she replied, reaching for a magazine that sat on the table. She propped up her legs on the table, crossing them. "Or history homework." She then glanced over at Ronan. "Which, by the way, I _have_ started on that project."

"Nice try," Ronan replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Get started on it soon. I don't want you to have to stay up late trying to finish it." He stretched his arms over his head, yawning. "Have you guys decided on what you're going to wear for the industry party?"

"_I _have," Sydney said proudly, puffing out his chest. "I don't think _they_ have yet."

"Way to throw us under the bus, Little Man," Noah spoke up, giving a small frown. "I'm done, too. I'll be spending the rest of my time trying to help Patrick with his outfit."

"Do you still have that reversible vest?" Riley asked, turning towards Rhuben. "Y'know the one you got for Valentine's Day last year? Can I borrow it?" Her lips then twitched as a mischevious look came to her eye. "Or are you planning on using it to coordinate your outfit of choice with Mr. Zevon?"

"Y'know, I wasn't going to mention it, but that plaid skirt you wore last time made our butt look huge," Rhuben commented, looking up from the magazine in her hands. "Not as big as your ego, but it's getting up there."

Riley's smirk got bigger. "I borrowed that skirt from you," she replied simply.

Ronan burst out into loud laughter, clapping his hands together. Rhuben shot him an annoyed look, and he smiled peacefully at her. "I'm sorry," he said in between laughs. "But, you have to admit, that _was_ funny." He leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees. "Just not something too casual, Bella."

Rhuben shook her head. "Trying to decide on two different dresses," she replied. "Of course, I'll be wearing some sort of leggings with them."

"Of course," Ronan agreed. "Is it between the light puple dress with the large bow, and the dark purple dress with the swan?"

"It's the only two dresses she owns, Ronan," Patrick pointed out, jerking his foot away from Sydney as the smaller boy pried off his shoe, and started working on his sock next. "Seriously, both you and Riles wear the same two dresses for everything. You need to change it up. It's tacky."

"You've been hanging around James too much," Noah commented, his nose wrinkling. He then turned towards Rhuben and said with a small smile, "A black and white dress wouldn't hurt."

"If you're dressing for Dak, blue is better," Patrick replied, kicking his foot into Sydney's side.

"Hey," Sydney said, almost whining. "Blue is my color."

"Yeah, it looks horrible on me," Rhuben added. "Not that I'm dressing for Dak, because I'm _not_. You know I don't have my mind on him."

"I know that's what you keep saying, sweetie," Ronan said slowly. Rhuben's eyebrow twitched slightly at the term of endearment. None of them were used to Ronan referring to them with words like that. "But, you could at least give the guy a chance."

"Well, I keep saying it because that's the truth," Rhuben said as she flipped through the magazine. She folded the cover back and showed them all a picture. "What about this one? It's short. It's simple."

"It looks like a tutu," Riley replied with a shake of her head. "Next." Riley was the resident fashion expert of the group, not that she'd ever really admit that to people. No one could deny that she had a good eye for what did and didn't look good on people in terms of their personal style.

"Anyway," Rhuben said as she leaned back into the couch cushions. "You all know how I feel about Dak. Dak likes to tease about wanting us to date, but he knows I know he's teasing."

"He's not teasing," Sydney cried, letting go of Patrick's foot. "He really likes you, Rhu. Like, _really_."

"Yeah, Rhubes, Dak's a fine boy, you should watch out for his feelings too," Ronan agreed.

"He's my friend, and I want things to stay that way," Rhuben replied, flipping through the magazine, refusing to look at any of her family. "I've seen how many times a boy and a girl will date, and then break up, and then hardly speak to each other."

"Well, I don't think Dak would act that way," Ronan replied with a shake of his head, "and I certainly don't think you would, either."

"Ok, look," Rhuben said putting down her magazine. She looked around at her family, making sure she had their attention before continuing. "I like being with Dak _as friends_. I can talk to him about pretty much anything. But, he doesn't stay on my mind and I don't get all excited when I see him I miss him when he's not around, but like when I miss it when you guys aren't around. _That's it._"

"Riiight," Patrick said, obviously not convinced. He couldn't deny, though, that the two of them were good friends.

Dak _was_ the guy who helped them break into the American market when they first got to California. And it was true that while they were friends, and while it took them a little while to fully trust him, that any of them could talk to Dak about anything if they wanted to.

"You may say that you don't like him, hell you could even say you hate him—"

"Which you don't, because hate is usually just misplaced attraction," Noah pointed out.

"Who's side are you on?" Rhuben asked, elbowing him in the side.

"Just stating a fact," Noah replied, shrugging.

"But somewhere, deep, deep down, you don't have a problem with having him around all the time," Patrick replied, mark my words.

"When did you become a logical thinker," Sydney asked after a moment of silence. It was the one question on everyone's mind. While Patrick wasn't stupid, he just did and said a lot of things as he normally acted without thinking first.

Patrick gave the trademark, Jackson one shouldered shrug. "Figured I gotta start thinking at some point," he replied, with a small smile.

"On that note," Ronan stated with a sigh. "Get out."

"Well, that's not very nice," Sydney commented with a frown before giving him a cheeky smile. "Or is Mama Knight coming over?"

Ronan rolled his eyes when his kids—while he referred to his clients as "his kids" for years, he still couldn't believe they were legally his—exchanged amused glances and smirks. It was no secret among the adults, or the kids, that he had a soft spot for Kacy Knight, Kendall and Katie's mom, but they were just friends. Their kids' jobs and happiness were always put first before theirs as they always lived by the saying, "As long as they're happy, I'm happy." Plus, he never hesitated to ask her for parental advice whenever he needed it.

"Yes, she is, but so is Gustavo and Kelly," Ronan replied, loosening the tie from around his neck, and undoing the top button of his button down shirt. He rolled up the sleeves as well. Ronan was known for dressing more business casual when he worked than anyone else. You could always see him in a button down shirt, normally with the sleeves rolled up, a tie, dark jeans, and nice looking shoes. But for those who really knew him, he was more of a t-shirt and jeans kinda guy. "And I don't want to give him another reason to yell at me besides my usual jibes."

"We wouldn't do anything this time," Riley protested. "It's not our fault his blood pressure rises the instant he sees us."

"Or hears our voices," Rhuben added with a grin.

"Or hears our names," Patrick and Noah said in unison.

"Or—"

"I get the point," Ronan said, putting his hand up to stop Sydney from talking. He then looked over at his daughters as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket. "You got your car keys?"

"Yeah, why?" Riley asked, her eyebrows scrunching together.

"You all might as well go and look for some new outfits," Ronan commented, pulling a credit card out of his wallet. Rhuben reached for it, but he quickly snatched it away. "_One_ new outfit each and as soon as you're done, drive over to the Palm Woods. I'll get a ride over later."

"One outfit each, got it," Rhuben replied with a nod, wiggling her fingers for the card. Ronan then slid the card into her hand and she looked it over. "Ooh, AmEX. Nice." She set the magazine down and turned towards the door when there was a knock.

"Who's there?" Sydney asked with a smile. The door swung open and Dak and WayneWayne walked into the room.

"It's someone who thinks they have talent," Riley cracked, getting to her feet to give Dak a quick hug. "Walking and talking being two of them."

"Funny," Dak replied, flicking Riley in the forehead."That's rich coming from you, considering you're the clumsiest person I know."

"And you surf and skateboard so that's really saying something," WayneWayne added.

Ever since he had left the show Magic Middle School, WayneWayne was in a rut, trying to find a job. He didn't care what he was doing, he just wanted to work. This desperation lead him down the wrong path as he pretended to be a bad boy and try and force his way into Big Time Rush. His plan didn't go well at all and he was then put on the show The Ziggle-Zaggles. While doing the show as embarrassing, he did have fun doing filming the show as well.

When he first met Dak, the two of them instantly became friends. Dak was the only person, besides Camille to know that he wasn't a bad person. Upon meeting WayneWayne, Riley also knew that his bad boy image was just that, an image. It took her, Rhuben, and Sydney to convince Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan that he had changed and he wasn't a bad person.

"We just dropped by to see if you guys were heading over to Rocque Records." He jerked his thumb back behind him. "Lizzie's waiting in the car."

"What's that?" Sydney asked, pointing to the envelopes in WayneWayne's hand. "Mail?"

"Oh, yeah," WayneWayne replied, turning towards Ronan, holding the mail out to him. "The lady at the front asked us to bring this back here for you, Mr. McGuire."

"Ronan, please," Ronan immediately replied as he took the mail from the teenaged boy. Ronan always had people call him by his first name. Once asked, he always said it sounded weird being referred to as Mr. McGuire, even when he was in school. "Ugh, bills, bills, bills, Pat—" He looked up and tossed Patrick a magazine like a Frisbee.

"Yes, the new _Game Informer_," he said with a grin, immediately flipping it open. Noah moved beside him and silently started looking at it over his shoulder.

Ronan muttered to himself as he flipped through the envelopes, sorting them into specific piles. He got to the last envelope and he stiffened, his eyes hardening. Tension immediately filled the air as the Jackson-McGuires exchanged glances before Ronan started violently ripping the letter in his hands. Sydney moved to pick up the pieces that slipped through Ronan's fingers and onto the floor.

"You guys should get going if you want to get back to the Palm Woods by dinner time," Ronan commented, holding the strips of paper in his hands. He got out of his seat and crossed the room to the trash can.

"We were just going to the mall," Riley explained, seeing Dak and WayneWayne's confused looks as she pulled her car keys out of her pocket. "Gustavo, Kelly, and Mama Knight are coming over here for a meeting. God knows what Kendall and them are going to do without us there to entertain them."

"What was that about though?" WayneWayne asked, glancing back at Ronan's office. "He looked really upset about something."

"It was nothing," Rhuben replied with a shake of her head. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

><p><strong>Kind of an odd place to end the chapter, but everything else after that felt like the rest of the chapter was a filler, so I just decided to stop here. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it.<strong>

**This chapter was based off of the song Outta My Head by Daughtry.**

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	4. Dirty Little Secret

**~Dirty Little Secret~**

* * *

><p>Dak let out a sigh as he, WayneWayne, Lizzie, and the Jacksons made their way into Apartment 2J in the Palm Woods. He had spent way more time than he wanted at the mall. It was the curse of having to go with his sister. She loved absolutely everything about the mall, going as far as spending a good eternity (at least that's what it felt like to him) in each store looking for new outfits that she didn't even need.<p>

His feet hurt and he was just overall tired. But, other than that, his mind was racing. He wanted to know what it was about the letter that Ronan had received that had made the older man so mad. He had never seen Ronan act that way at all, even when Patrick practically broke his sound board by dropping a cup of Root Beer on it. And with the Jacksons telling them not to worry about whatever it was, it just made him think about it even more.

"Something wrong?"

Dak blinked and turned towards Logan who stopped in the middle of doing some homework to look over at him. Lizzie and Katie were making their way into Katie's bedroom already talking and laughing about something as WayneWayne, and the Jacksons moved to sit in empty spaces on the couch or on the floor, joining Kendall, James, and Carlos.

"Nothing really," Dak replied, standing in his spot before moving to sit down across from Logan at the table.

Logan arched an eyebrow before placing his pencil in his book and closing it, pushing it aside. Silence fell over the two of them. Dak and Logan had a peculiar friendship; Logan respected Dak for all of his hard work and how he took the time out of his day to help Logan and his friends with their band, music, how to deal with fans and a whole lot of other things that had to do with the music industry.

But, Logan was also a little guarded around Dak as well. It didn't help that Logan was long time best friends with Rhuben; which has proven time and time again to be something stable in Rhuben's life that she greatly appreciated. Logan was the first to figure out about the Jackson's abuse and had kept that a secret for his friends as long as he felt he could. While Logan was a pretty good friend to everyone, besides WayneWayne as he still hasn't really gotten over the "bad boy" trying to kick him out of the band, it was Dak he seemed to always have choice words for ever since he found out about the teen icon's feelings for his friend.

Dak always chalked it up to Logan just being worried for Rhuben, which he did understand himself. But, that didn't stop Dak from getting annoyed with him every once in a while as well, occasionally trading subtle jabs at each other. Logan felt like it wasn't the best idea for Rhuben to be romantically involved with Dak as it would give her more attention than she wanted or needed, her music career aside.

Other than that, they were friends as well. Their arguments really only stemmed from the fact that they both wanted what was best for Rhuben mentally and emotionally. It was also something they bonded over, no matter how weird Riley often stated it was.

"Have you seen the magazines lately?" Logan asked before producing the latest _Universe Magazine_ from his backpack. Dak took one glance at the cover and felt his annoyance spiking.

**Romantic Moment Caught on the Beach**

**Teen Icon Dak Zevon and popular music sensation Rhuben Jackson of the DarkElements share an intimate moment on the beach. Details inside.**

Smack dab on the cover was a picture of Dak and Rhuben on the beach, with his fingers in her hair, as he tried to get seaweed out. _I can only imagine what "details" they have_. Nothing affected Dak like the stories the tabloids printed about him and Rhuben. He knew it came with the territory of being famous, but it didn't stop him from getting annoyed with it when it had to deal with his personal life. He flipped through the pages until he found the story he was looking for, a full page detailing how he and Rhuben had spent the day on the beach with their friends.

There were various pictures inside, but he knew that peole would only focus on the two of them in the pictures, despite WayneWayne, James, and Carlos being in the background of a few. There were quotes as well from "witnesses" and on the opposite page was a full page color photograph of the two of them looking at each other.

Dak skimmed through the article, but didn't even make it that far—the rest of the article pretty much wrote its self after the headline. He sunk back into his chair, letting the magazine drop onto the table. "Fans on Scuttblebug are going crazy," Logan commented with a shake of his head. "And don't even get me started on your guys' MyFace page."

"Well, on the bright side, photographers aren't color blind anymore," Dak commented with a small smile. "They can at least tell the difference between Riley and Rhuben now." Logan chuckled.

For a while, when the Jacksons weren't nearly as famous as they are now, the tabloids and any other gossip magazine out there, seemed to pair Dak with any girl he was seen out with, once or twice with his own sister before he put those rumors to rest. While Riley had been pictured with Dak a handful of times, it seemed that no one could really tell the difference between Riley and Rhuben, despite them wearing different colors, as for a long while, people kept calling Rhuben by her sister's name. However, this led to a handful of inside jokes for the group of friends and was the basis of Riley and Dak's "I'm going to make fun of you every chance I get" type of friendship as no one thought they'd be compatible at all.

"It's obvious they don't even care that the rest of us were there too," Logan commented, running his hands over his face. "Rhubes' has seen it just so you know. She's already said on her Scuttlebug, that the rest of us were there and that the two of you aren't dating. No offense, but it's not like it's going to help a lot."

"Don't worry, I get it," Dak replied with a wave of his hand. "I know you don't like how this is going down. It's one of the things I tried to teach you guys as well." He offered a small smile which Logan didn't return.

"I just don't think all the attention is great for her," Logan replied slowly. "Not for any of them, really. I mean, they don't want the story of their abuse to get out. It's bound to make them a little antsy."

Dak felt his annoyance hitch. He wondered when Logan was ever going to realize that all he was doing was really hindering his friends from being happy. They had Ronan there to help them with problems like this, to look out for them. They needed their friends to be there to take their minds off things like that. With Logan having his eyes on Camille, Dak often wondered how she was taking the fact that he spent most of his time worrying about his old friend.

"Hmm, that may have been what got Ronan upset today," Dak commented, rubbing his chin. Logan's eyes shot up. "WayneWayne and I stopped by Blazing Phoenix Records today. On our way in, the secretary wanted us to give Ronan his mail. He wasn't quite fond of something he got and he ripped it up. I've never seen him that mad before."

A series of emotions passed over Logan's face before stopping on curiosity. _I wonder if they've been getting letters asking to give interviews or something for the magazines. Maybe Ronan's just mad that they won't leave his family alone._ Dak opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a loud cheer.

"Yeah, goal!" Carlos yelled at the top of his lungs.

Dak got up from his seat and walked into the living room, shaking his head slightly when he saw a hockey game on the TV. "Of course," he commented, crossing his arms over his chest. "There's not much else in this world besides hockey that could get you so excited."

"I could say the same about you and show tunes coming on Sirius XM," Riley commented with a smirk.

Dak's upper lip curled as everyone started laughing. He then rolled his eyes and said, "You'd be the same way if you were in Broadway plays too."

"Ooh, name drop," Riley shot back. "I'm so jealous of you, Zevon. I really am."

"Quiet!" Kendall said loudly, grabbing the remote to turn up the volume on the TV. "Score's tied. Penguins vs The Flyers now ssshhh!"

"They're just lucky," James commented, crossing his arms over his chest. He brushed his hair out of his face, making sure each strand of hair was situated perfectly before dropping his hand. Dak often wondered why James was so obsessed with his looks. When he found out that his mom was Brooke Diamond, and that his dad used to be one of the more famous body builders back in the day, did it all make sense to him. "The Flyers are gonna kick their butts."

"You wish!" Kendall said, shoving his friend. "The Penguins are gonna win."

"No they're not."

"Yes they are"

"No. They're NOT!"

"Yes. They ARE!"

"You wanna know what I think?" Katie asked calmly, making her way out of her room. She grabbed the remote from Kendall's hands and shut off the TV, ignoring the boys' loud noise of protest. "That's what I think." She smirked at the shocked looks on Kendall, James, and Carlos's faces. "You're acting like immature little brats. I go through enough just having live with you idiots." She started knocking on Kendall's forehead. "It's on _tape_, dorks!"

"It's typical really," Logan commented, dryly. "If hockey's not on TV, they put it on themselves."

"Oh, and by the way," Katie said, "pizza should be here in about twenty minutes."

Carlos, who was still sitting in a stunned silence, had perked up slightly when pizza was mentioned. However, a few seconds later he said, "Dude, she cut off our game."

"Good thing, too," Patrick commented, motioning for Katie to toss him the remote. He caught it with one hand before turning the TV back on. "World's Most Shocking Moments is on."

"Anytime you speak is a shocking moment," Sydney commented, briefly glancing up from his cell phone. "You should be on the show." Patrick made a face, sticking his tongue out at his brother before mussing Sydney's hair. Noah started to laugh quietly.

Dak glanced at each of his friends, laughing a little bit. He often wondered how he could be friends with such extreme personalities, but found that his life wasn't nearly as entertaining without them there. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to face Lizzie who was looking up at him with her hazel eyes. She tugged on his arm and he allowed himself to be pulled into Katie's room by her, Katie following behind them.

"What, Liz? What's wrong?" Dak looked back and forth between Lizzie and Katie, suddenly feeling worried. "Is something wrong?"

"Lizz told me what you told her about Ronan," Katie replied and Dak shot his sister an annoyed look. Lizzie just shrugged in a "What can you do" kind of way. "They've all been acting kinda weird lately. Not that we're not weird people to begin with."

"So you've noticed," Dak commented, moving to sit down on the bed in the room. He clasped his hands in his lap.

"Of course," Katie replied with a shrug. "In case you've forgotten, it's my job around here to notice things and to help bail those morons out of trouble." Dak chuckled, shaking his head."You've been acting weird, too." Dak arched an eyebrow. "Come on! You've been looking at us like we'll disappear in the next few seconds. Teen icon aside, it's creepy."

Dak glanced over at Lizzie who nodded. "I've been offered a lead role in a big rock musical," Dak replied. Katie's eyes lit up and he couldn't help but grin.

"That's amazing," Katie cried. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Dak replied with a short nod. "The musical is called Next to Normal. It's about this mother with bipolar disorder and how it affects her family. It's a great story and everything."

"But?" Katie prompted.

Dak sighed. "But, it's off-Broadway and it's with a touring company," he explained. "It's a great opportunity for me, but I also have my contract with Gustavo and helped him out with Kendall and them. I love what I'm doing now, helping Big Time Rush, but I also love performing." He then made a face. "I can already imagine the things Gustavo would yell at me."

"I said he should go ahead and do the musical," Lizzie said placing a hand on her brother's shoulder. "I mean, Big Time Rush will always be here when he gets back. But, he's never been one to leave something in the middle of it, and with his contract, he'll be with BTR for about another year."

"Well that's stupid," Katie commented. Dak could always count on her to be blunt about things, much like Riley, but there were also times where he didn't care to hear it as well. "Do the musical. Broadway is what gave you your start. It's like Liz said; BTR will be here when you get back."

Dak made a noise of agreement before changing the subject back to his previous worry."Has Patrick, Noah, or Sydney said anything to you? About anything?"

Katie shook her head. "No, but they _have_ been a bit off," she replied. "I mean, yes, they're more open since Ronan adopted them. I haven't seen them any happier. They seemed to have adjusted well." She scratched her forehead. "But, of course there are things they don't like to talk about still."

"Yeah, like if you bring up anything about their abuse, they'll make jokes about it and then it just gets awkward. Like they're trying so hard to make it something easy to talk about but can't," Lizzie replied, wrinkling her nose. She then snapped her fingers. "Oh. Sometimes I overhear them talking about why they think Robert did it. Like, they wonder if he was abused by his own dad."

Dak blinked in surprise. That thought had never occurred to him. He briefly glanced at the door wondering if Logan knew anything about it. Surely, Riley or Rhuben, or any of the Jacksons would've told him anything about it. _They are the type to wonder about people's reasoning behind things and they're naturally curious about stuff like that. _"That's possible." He slowly started to nod. "That's very possible."

* * *

><p>"Alright, McGuire, what's so important that you had to have us come down here?" Gustavo Rocque asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he dropped down onto the couch in Ronan's office. He sat in between Kacy Knight, Kendall and Katie's mom, and Gustavo's assistant, Kelly Wainright. In the process of sitting down, he nearly knocked the two women out of their seats. "This better be important."<p>

"As much as I'd love to hear you yell and scream at me about your latest tirade with "your dogs" I'm sure you'll consider this more important," Ronan commented, with a roll of his eyes. "Or, wait, am I interrupting your feeding time?"

"Hey!" Kelly practically shouted, stopping the two boys from getting into a fight that was, at this point in time, pretty much inevitable. "What is it, Ronan?"

"Yeah, it sounded like something was bothering you," Kacy added, glancing at the young man. "Excuse me for saying this as well, but you don't look great either."

"Not like he's ever looked good anyway," Gustavo commented and Kelly rolled her eyes. Ronan shot Gustavo an annoyed look but didn't say anything else.

"Ok," Ronan said, letting out a heavy sigh, running his hands over his face. "My kids have been doing well since Robert went to rehab for child abuse and to work on his anger management. Better than I've seen them, I'd say."

"They really have improved a lot since he's been gone," Kacy commented, brushing her reddish brown hair behind her ears. "They've been more open lately."

"Up until recently, actually," Ronan replied, nodding towards the trash can. "Robert's been sending them letters, wanting to talk to them." Ronan watched as everyone's faces contorted into a look of shock, save for Gustavo who looked downright furious. "He wants to explain to them why he did what he did and to apologize to their faces."

"I read one of the letters and asked them about it. Naturally, they said they didn't want to have anything to do with him so I've just been shredding any and all letters sent over here. Unsurprisingly, he hasn't given up on the subject at all. I think it's starting to weigh in on them. However, if they _did_ want to see him, I wouldn't stop them. It's ultimately their decision. I'd just hate for them to progress all this way and then have it revert the second they see him."

"Where does he get off thinking they'd actually want to see him?" Gustavo demanded, seeming to swell like a balloon. "Hell, give _me_ one of his letters. I'd march on down to that rehab and burn it in his face. He'd get the point, then." He started laughing evilly, rubbing his hands together.

"I would like to hurt Robert just as much as he hurt your kids, Ronan," Kelly said, crossing one leg over the other. "Figuratively of course. But, I think what you're doing is right. Like you said, it's ultimately their decision."

"We'll keep an eye on them to make sure they're ok," Kacy added. She peered at him. "Although, I can't help but feel as if there's something else."

Ronan sucked in a deep breath of air and held it for a few moments before letting it out slowly. "I think I want to go and speak with him," Ronan replied slowly. Gustavo made a choked noise of disbelief. "Yeah, I know. It'd just be good closure for me, I guess. And despite the fact that I hate the guy for what he did to my kids, he never laid a hand on me. I like to think that he at least respected me in some aspect." He ran his fingers through his hair. "If any of you would like to come with me, you're more than welcome. He inadvertently hurt you guys as well."

"Just say the word," Gustavo said, lifting his sunglasses. "I'm going to rip him a new one. He deserves it."

"I'm going to have to think about it," Kacy replied, reaching out to take Ronan's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Although, I admire you for what you want to do."

"Thank you," Ronan replied with a nod.

* * *

><p><strong>Some of you guys have been asking. I'm not sure how long this is going to be yet. Anywhere between 20-30 chapters. I hope you guys liked this chapter.<strong>

**Cheers**

**-Rhubes**


	5. Tried to Give You Warning Part I

**~Tried to Give You Warning Part I~**

* * *

><p>"Ok, how about this tie?"<p>

Rhuben let out a heavy sigh, crossing one leg over the other, arching an eyebrow as she peered at Patrick in the mirror. "That's the _twelfth_ tie you're trying on," she commented. "Would you just pick one?"

"I'm actually surprised he hasn't choked himself yet," Noah commented, buttoning down the collar to his dress shirt, adjusting his bow tie. He saw Patrick roll his eyes in the mirror and smirked. "That's a hideous shade of yellow."

"That's what I thought," Patrick replied before quickly undoing the tie from around his neck.

"Just stick with black, black is classy," Riley commented from Rhuben's left, looking annoyed. "And here I thought girls were supposed to take a long time to get dressed." The two girls, and Sydney, were sitting on the couch in their apartment, watching as Patrick and Noah went back and forth to their rooms and the mirror behind the door to check out how they looked.

"You do," Sydney pointed out, picking some stray lint from his shirt. "You girls spend all day getting ready. We just cram it all in in the last ten minutes."

"If you had started getting ready when I _first_ asked you to, we wouldn't be in danger of running late," Ronan commented as he walked out of his bedroom, pulling a black dress coat on over his white shirt. He brushed some stray hairs off his dark pants and checked the shine of his shoes before patting his pockets for his keys and his phone. "Is everybody ready?"

"Would you just pick one for God's sake, Pat?" Riley asked, her accent filling her voice as she nearly burst with annoyance. Her phone started buzzing and she pulled it out of her small purse. "Everyone's waiting.

**WayneWayne: You guys ready?**

**Riley: Be down soon.**

"I'll just go without a tie," Patrick commented, throwing the offending article onto the ground.

"Better go without a belt or shoelaces," Sydney commented with a cheeky grin as he glanced at his older sisters. "Anything to stop them from trying to strangle you for your indecisiveness." Patrick merely shrugged as Sydney got off the couch. "We're all ready to go, dad."

They were all wearing black and white, as part of the theme for the party, but had a splash of their color here and there to stick with their own personal styles. Both Riley and Rhuben were wearing a black one-shoulder dress that stopped mid-thigh. Riley's one strap sat on her left shoulder, and Rhuben's dress had a long sleeve, covering her right arm. They wore respectively wore red and purple shoes, and had a red and purple hair clip, pulling their hair out of their faces. Patrick and Noah both opted for black fedoras, with a gold or silver band around the hat, and white dress shirt, white coat, and black pants and shoes. Ronan and Sydney opted for the traditional black and white suit. Sydney's though, had blue trim on it.

"Who's party is this again?" Riley asked, shouldering the skinny strap to her purse.

"I have no idea," Ronan replied, ushering them all out of the apartment. He locked the door behind them and they made their way towards the elevators. "We were invited, and we RSVPed way ahead of time, so we can't back out now." He ran his fingers through his hair and adjusted his coat sleeves. "No matter how much we want to."

"Why can't you be like those parents that write sick notes for their kids even when they're not sick?" Rhuben asked with a roll of her eyes. "I mean, all we're going to get are the exact same questions: What can we expect next for your music?"

"What was your reaction to Big Time Rush's instant success?" Riley said with a shake of her head.

"What are you wearing?" Patrick and Noah harmonized.

"And the million dollar question," Sydney said with a heavy sigh. His siblings joined him in voicing the final question, "Are you single?"

"You better get used to it," Ronan commented, pressing the down arrow at the elevators. "When you're single, that's the only thing newspaper, TV, and radio reporters ask. The minute you say that you aren't, they'll try and get as much dirt as possible It's a lose-lose situation, really." He sighed, slumping against the wall. "And I don't make up excuses like that because it's bad karma."

"Oh, you mean just like how every interviewer asks for your opinion on Gustavo and no matter what answer you give, he'll be somewhere to yell at you later for it?" Sydney asked, widening his blue eyes in innocence. The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside.

"Exactly," Ronan replied with a nod. He frowned, briefly closing his eyes. "I'm already getting a headache just anticipating the yelling I'm going to have to endure tonight." He then opened his eyes and sighed. "You told everybody to meet us here, right?"

"Yeah, they should be here by now," Patrick replied, twisting his arm to look at his watch. "Unless the sheilas decide to take a long time." He caught the look on Riley's face and gave a sheepish grin. "Although, I bet they just look _lovely _this evening."

"Nice save," Sydney said, rolling his eyes. The elevator let out a loud _ding_ as it reached the lobby, the doors sliding open. "Hey, guys." He immediately made his way over to the large group of friends. "Sorry if we took long. We couldn't fit Pat's large _ego_ through the collar of his shirt."

"Don't worry about it, the limos have just arrived," Mrs. Knight commented, brushing her wavy hair over her shoulders. "We haven't been waiting long at all."

"We've been waiting for an _eternity_, McGuire," Gustavo said shaking his head. He made a tsking sound with his tongue. "Punctuality is key in a business like this. You should know better."

"We've only been waiting for ten minutes, Gustavo," Kelly said, giving him an elbow to the side. "You've been really grouchy lately. You must be getting hungry."

"Big surprise," Ronan deadpanned. "Alright, is everybody ready to go?"

"Uh," Dak stepped forward, gently taking Rhuben's elbow. "Can I talk to you for a second?" He looked towards Ronan for permission. Ronan glanced at his watch and nodded, holding up his right hand to show that they head five minutes. "Thanks."

"Hey, let's try out the sun roof," Katie suggested to Lizzie, looping her arm through her friend's. They were wearing the exact same dress; Katie's in powder blue, and Lizzie's in pink. "I wonder how many people we can trick into thinking we're important actresses."

"Believe me, the novelty wears off fast," James commented as he held the door open for everybody. "There's just no way to keep your hair looking perfectly while you're hanging out of a sun roof."

"We'll save you two seats," WayneWayne commented, placing the hand on the small of Riley's back, leading her out the door. Dak nodded, turning back towards Rhuben as everyone left the building.

"Well first off, you look great," Dak said, giving her a smile.

"Thank you," Rhuben replied, smiling back at him, adjusting the sleeve on her dress. "You don't look bad yourself." She gave a small laugh, reaching out a hand to touch his parted hair. "Although, I don't think I've seen you with this kind of hair style before."

Dak grimaced as he touched his own hair. It was parted straight down the middle and gelled completely flat on either side of his head. "Yeah, I know," he muttered. "Um, anyway, I just wanted to go over what you were going to say if people asked about us."

"Which they _are_ going to do," Rhuben replied. She scratched at her forehead and sighed. "I don't know. I mean, I can only say that we're just friends so many times before people start believing it."

"We _could_ throw 'em for a loop and go with each other," Dak suggested. "As dates." Rhuben arched an eyebrow and he put his hands up defensively. "Not in a romantic setting, but as friends. A friend-date if you will. It sure as hell would make the whole party a little more entertaining."

"Nice try, _friend_," Rhuben replied with an eye roll, brushing past him, her heels clacking on the tiled floor.

* * *

><p>Rhuben let out a heavy sigh, as the loud industry party raged on. She was having a good time here and there talking to other musicians she's met over the years, and talking to news people that were covering the event, but after a while, it all just turned to the subject of her and Dak.<p>

She wanted to be known for her music, not who she was dating. Yes, she knew that it was part of the industry and part of the job, but that didn't mean that she couldn't get annoyed of it from time to time. Plus, all of the questions didn't help her at all. While she was busy trying to sort out her feelings for the teen icon, he was always being shoved into her face at every waking moment.

And that's when she saw him. Reflected in the glass was the same cold, grey eyes she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life. The smirk she saw for many years before she got a threat or a punch to the face. She could practically smell the alcohol as it floated around her. A shiver shot down her spine and she felt her chest tighten, her breath laboring. _Oh, God, no._

"See anything exciting, Beautful?"

Rhuben turned around, letting out a loud gasp at the sudden voice beside her. James peered curiously at her as she struggled to get her breathing under control. She peered over his shoulder, before glancing back at the window, the reflection of her ex-father having vanished. She put a hand to her head, and thought fast, realizing that he was waiting for an answer.

"The ocean is exciting," she replied lamely. "More exciting than this." She attempted a smile. "Sorry for dragging you guys here, Handsome. I thought it'd be a little more exciting than this."

"Don't worry about it," James replied with a wave of his hand. "Besides, it's like you've always told us, it's good publicity and a good chunk of the time, you'll be doing something you don't want to to get more exposure on yourself." Rhuben gave a short nod, glancing out the window again.

"It's a great way to network, maybe drum up some work," she replied. "Do more things outside of the band. Like commercials and stuff." She gave a short sigh. "I don't feel like networking though." She wanted to go home, but she didn't want to ruin the fun; or at least the fun it looked like everyone else was having.

WayneWayne, Riley, Dak, Lizzie, and Katie were dancing to a fast paced song in a group. Patrick, Noah, and Sydney were off to the side talking to some reporters. Kendall, Carlos, and Logan were talking quietly to each other as Camille, Stephanie, and Jo were nowhere to be seen. If Rhuben had to guess, they were at the photo booth the party had. She couldn't really blame them; Stephanie especially for her love of film and photography.

"Yeah, you seem kind of out of it, tonight," James commented, his eyebrows knitting together. "Is everything ok?"

"Did Logan ask you to check on me?" Rhuben asked with a heavy sigh.

"Believe it or not, but I can avert my attention from my hair every now and then," James commented with a small eye roll.

Rhuben gave a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Just tired." _Tired of all of these questions about Dak. _She rubbed her starting to burn eyes, careful not to smudge her make-up. _I'm so tired I'm clearly starting to see things._"And my feet are _killing_ me."

James chuckled. "Why wear heels if they're just going to hurt your feet?" he asked, looking down at her feet. "Not that they don't make you look even hotter than before."

"I knew there was a comment somewhere," Rhuben said with a roll of her eyes. "And we only wear them to make us short girls feel taller." A smirk then came to her face. "Plus, they make our legs look longer."

"I can't really complain with that," James replied, tilting his head from side to side as he thought. "And, no, Logan didn't ask me to check on you." Rhuben peered at him, eyes narrowed and he added, "Dak didn't either. Ronan did."

Rhuben couldn't help but smile at the mention of her dad. Sure, she was still getting used to the fact that Ronan was now taking on the role as a father figure rather than just being a friend to her, but she was glad that he was around. Just hearing his name gave her a sense of security. And while she was happy to know that he could easily see right through her when something was wrong. But, she didn't know if she wanted to tell him what was wrong.

She didn't know how he would take it, and she wasn't looking forward to the "Psych" talk as well. To help the Jackson(-McGuires) deal with their past abuse, it was suggested to them that they occasionally go to a psychiatrist to help them out with their problems and to learn how to move on from things. It was already hard for them to warm up to people, but it took even longer for people who wanted to pick their brains and figure out what they were thinking.

"I'm fine," Rhuben replied with a wave of her hand. James arched an eyebrow. "Seriously. And to prove it to you, I'm in the mood for a dance." She offered him her hand. James grinned and took it, leading her out onto the dance floor with a spin.

* * *

><p><strong>And this starts the main plot to this fic. Don't worry, you'll be seeing more of the other characters. It's kinda hard having to write about so many people. But, they're all important to this fic.<strong>

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	6. Tried to Give You Warning Part II

**~Tried to Give You Warning Part II~**

* * *

><p>Dak sighed as he surveyed the room. He was having fun; in between the dancing and talking to his friends from various film series and tv shows. But there was something off about the party as well. Or was it himself? Having gone to many of these types of parties of the years, and having been turned down as a date from Rhuben on numerous times, going solo didn't bother him in the least bit. Plus, it freed up time for him to spend with his sister if she ever wanted to tag along.<p>

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled out his cell phone and checked the screen before politely excusing himself from the middle of a conversation about how to deal with paparazzi following you everywhere and stepped out into the quiet lobby of the building.

His father's baritone voice filled his ear as soon as he answered. "I'm going to have to make this quick. Bad news, son. Your mother and I are going to have to stay here a few extra days. Look after your sister, alright?"

Dak's lips twitched. "Yeah, yeah, I know the drill," he replied with a sigh. "Don't stay up too late, make sure to turn on the alarm every night, no parties, and keep an eye on Lizzie. And most importantly, no girls and no alcohol." It wasn't anything new to him. With his parents as casting directors, they were busy all times during the year and in turn were barely at home. "You're going to miss Lizzie's recital. Again."

"_I know, I know. But, son, this is really important_. _Apologize to Lizzie for us, please?_"

"Sure," Dak replied, rubbing at his forehead. "You sure there's no way you can make it back? Not even for a few hours? Lizzie really wants you to see this one."

Dak's father slowly breathed in and he could practically see his dad shake his head in his mind's eye. "I'm sorry son, but there really is now way. Casting has gotten pushed back and—well you know how it is."

Dak fought the urge to roll his eyes. Yes, of course he understood, always being on the other end of the casting process. "Alright, dad, I understand," he muttered. "Tell mom 'hi'."

"_I'll keep you posted_" Dak heard his dad say into the phone seconds before he jabbed his thumbnail into the red END key.

He suddenly felt very tired and his feet started to hurt as he ran his fingers through his hair before making his way back into the party. His eyes immediately landed on James and Rhuben who were dancing in the middle of the large group in the room. Not feeling in the mood for a dance, and wanting to dodge the girls who were batting their eyelashes at him, he made his way over to the punch bowl.

"You're kinda quiet," WayneWayne commented as Dak stood next to him, starting to fill up his cup.

"Yeah." Dak said with a nod.

"It's a nice night out," WayneWayne commented, glancing out the windows over his shoulder. "Not a cloud in the sky."

"I guess so," Dak replied with a shrug.

WayneWayne arched an eyebrow, looking his friend over. "Gee, long night?" Dak wrinkled his nose. "You've been out of it all night. I don't think you've listened to a single thing anyone's said to you."

"I haven't been, really," Dak admitted, with a sigh. "My mind's been wandering all night. Being here, talking about all this stuff. I mentioned that I got offered a role in Next to Normal, and people are really excited for me."

"But?" WayneWayne offered after a moment of silence. Dak took a sip of his punch, stalling for time. "You don't know if you want to go. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, you know."

"Yeah," Dak slowly replied. "And it's a play I've always wanted to do." He let out a heavy sigh and turned to face his friend. "I just got a call from my parents. They'll be out of town for a few more days, and yet, they can still dictate what I will and won't be doing in my life from hundreds of miles away."

WayneWayne cringed. "That's rough, man," he commented shaking his head. "Have you told Lizzie yet? They're going to be missing her dance recital."

"No, I don't even know how to tell her," Dak replied, glancing out across the dance floor, spotting Lizzie being spun in quick circles by Patrick as they easily moved to the beat of the upbeat song that was playing. "They've missed so many things that we've done in our lives, but telling her that they won't be able to come to a dance recital or parent's day or a surf competition never gets easier." He chewed on his bottom lip before facing his best friend. "She acts like it doesn't bother her, but she's getting older and in her fifteen years of life, they've barely ever been around, unless it's to enter her into contests or to hand her movie scripts or something."

"You want me to hang out at your place for a few days?" WayneWayne suggested before an annoyed look crossed his face. "Anything to get away from my family. I mean, I love them and all, but a guy needs to get away from his psycho sisters every once in a while. Especially if one's pregnant."

Dak couldn't help but grin. WayneWayne was really close with his family, there was no denying that. Sometimes whenever Dak went over to the Dooley house, he'd get teased about his own life as if he was part of the family. It was a big change to going home to his large, empty house, making sure his sister had everything she needed. Sometimes, Dak caught himself wishing he had WayneWayne's life, despite being happy with what he had as well.

"No worries," Dak replied with a wave of his hand. "I'd enjoy the company, actually. Plus, I'm sure Lizzie would love to have someone else give her attention from time to time."

"That's why you don't want to leave." Dak blinked and turned to face his friend, who had a serious look on his face. "You don't want to leave Lizzie behind."

Dak gave a short nod. "That's part of it," he replied before taking another sip of punch. "I mean, I know I won't always be there for her and I know she doesn't always want me to protect her, but knowing that she could be at home most times by herself…kinda scares me."

"And you'd be all the way on the other side of the US, too," WayneWayne added with a slight frown. He clapped his friend on the shoulder. "I understand, man. Really, I do."

"I think I'm going to head out, call me a taxi and get a ride home," Dak commented, setting down his now empty cup. "This music is giving me a headache, and I want to at least try and figure out what I'm going to tell Lizzie." He looked over at his sister again. "Make sure she gets a ride home? Or if she's going to go to the Palm Woods, make sure she gets there safely?"

"No problem," WayneWayne replied with a smile.

Dak returned the smile before making his way towards the exit. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, but barely made it halfway across the lobby before he heard a "click-clacking" sound rushing after him. He was surprised to see Rhuben hurrying after him. He silently raised his eyebrows as she hurried to his side.

"You leaving?" Rhuben asked, putting out a hand, resting it on his shoulder as she took off her heels. "Something wrong?"

"Just not really feeling the party," Dak replied with a shrug. "I'm surprised you're enjoying yourself. You guys hate stuff like this."

"Not all the time," Rhuben replied with a shake of her head, holding her heels in her hand by the straps. "Sure, they're mainly boring. It's all just a brag fest. But, once the music starts playing and when we have friends here, it's not too bad." A muscle in her jaw twitched. "Besides, I was kinda saving a dance for you."

"You were?" Dak asked, feeling his heart skip a beat. He then frowned. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," Rhuben replied, her face void of any emotion. "Knowing you, you would've asked anyway. Besides, it'd give the press something solid to report on instead of making something up." Dak gave a small laugh and she peered t him. "You ok?"

Dak blinked in surprise. _I forgot how easily she could do that_. On one hand, it freaked him out whenever she could do that, and on the other, she liked how she could. He didn't have to be fake around her, and he knew that whatever he said to her, if he wanted it kept a secret, she'd keep it that way (save for telling Riley as that was naturally going to happen).

Dak shrugged. "No, not really."

"Oh. Do you want to talk about it?" Her face showed concern, and he tried to smile, to ease her worry (although, he couldn't help but feel somewhat pleased that she was worried about him).

"No, that's okay," Dak replied with a shake of his head. "I think I'm just going to head home. I don't want to ruin your fun." He laughed a little bit. "Or the fun that you're pretending to have." Rhuben's lips twitched before she gave a small wave, making her way back inside the party. Dak sighed and called for a taxi.

* * *

><p>Dak pushed back his covers and got out of bed.<p>

His reached his hand under his pillow and pulled out his phone. Pressing a button on the side to light up the screen, he winced, squeezing one eye shut, and looked at the display, groaning when he saw all of the calls and texts he missed when he tried to get to sleep. Stretching his arms above his head, he made his way out of his room, stepping over a snoring WayneWayne, walked down the long hallway, and down the stairs into the kitchen. He flipped on the light and made his way over to the refrigerator.

The door made a kissing sound as it was pulled open. Dak bent over, searching the shelves for something, anything, to eat or drink. He spotted a red cap behind a light green bottle. Dak's eyes flickered towards the label, quickly reading the word _Heineken_ on the font before pushing it aside and grabbing the bottle of soda behind it. He kicked the refrigerator door shut with his foot and slowly made his way into the living room, switching off the lights to the kitchen.

He slumped on the couch, curling his legs up underneath him, turning on the TV, quickly turning down the volume. He twisted open the cap, smiling when he heard the familiar sound of air quickly rushing out of the bottle, before taking a long swing, the carbonation burning the back of his throat. As he swallowed, he looked around the dark, empty house and let out a breath of air through his nose.

"Get used to it, Zevon," he muttered. "Once you're in New York, this will all be normal for you."

* * *

><p><strong>You'll be seeing more of "the adults" in the next chapter.<strong>

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	7. I Learned From You

**~I Learned From You~**

* * *

><p>"So anyway, I was thinking of asking her to go to Lizzie's recital since my parents won't go," Dak commented in a quiet voice the next day as he repeatedly hammered the tip of a paint brush, covered in pink paint onto a canvas. He glanced over at Riley as she pulled the cap off a container of spay paint. "What do you think?"<p>

"I think," Riley commented, looking up at him, holding a mask away from her face, "that you're going to drive me crazy talking about my sister all of the time, and in turn while drive _her_ crazy by popping up everywhere she turns, which would make our _already_ crazy family even more psychotic."

"So…you _don't_ think it's a good idea?" Dak asked, slowly, setting down his brush.

WayneWayne burst into loud laughter despite the sour look Dak gave his friend. "What?" he asked, widening his eyes. "She's right. Their family is crazy." Riley made a face and kicked him hard in the shin.

"Just because I say it doesn't you're allowed to," she commented, placing the mask over her mouth. She then turned away from her friends and started spraying the canvas. Once she stopped spraying, she set the can down and used both hands to wave her painting, blowing the paint fumes away from her. As she lowered the mask, she let out a single cough. "Anyway, thanks guys for helping me with my art project."

"No problem," Dak replied, moving to sit down at the kitchen table. "It's been assigned for weeks though; I figured you'd be done with it by now considering how much you love art."

"In case you hadn't noticed, Ronan's been pretty distracted lately," Riley replied, also taking a seat, motioning towards the stack of envelopes at the head of the table. "We're getting just about two letters a day now. Plus, he pushed the due date back a while and I figured I'd get a jump on it before I go surfing with James and then Rhubes and I are going to the mall with the girls."

Dak silently nodded, dragging his brush over the canvas, drawing a bright blue stripe. Dak was an avid painter, starting from a young age when his parents would put him in an art class to keep him out of trouble. He used painting as a way to "get away from it al."

Sometimes it was a large cobalt blue vase of blood-red roses speckled with a summer sun or violets in a clear plastic cup of water throwing prisms across a whitewashed room. There were times where he thought that if he wasn't an actor and a singer, then he'd be a painter. It was another form of creating images that people would love.

"But, if you're really going to go on and on about this, I need to warn you about something," Riley commented, getting Dak's attention. "Us Jacksons, er, well now Jackson-McGuires, we live in the past. The _main_ reason why Rhubes doesn't want to go out with you, or _anyone_ for that matter, is because the papers, magazines, online sites, what have you, will start talking. '_What does Dak Zevon see in Rhuben Jackson-McGuire_?' Your faces would be plastered _everywhere_."

"Not like it's not now," WayneWayne commented.

Riley nodded, showing that what he was saying was true. "People will see you as the All American couple, and people will want to start looking for dirt to gossip about. We've worked hard to keep our abuse a secret, and if they look hard enough, they'll figure it out and release it to the press before we figure out a way to beak it to our fans."

"So…I still have a chance then?" Dak asked, brightening.

"You also have a chance of getting a paint brush shoved up your nose if you don't stop," WayneWayne commented with a groan. "I get that you want to date her and everything, but even _I _get tired hearing her name come up in every conversation. I hate to break it to ya, but you can be pretty overbearing when it comes to girls you like." Dak gave WayneWayne a warning look as WayneWayne turned towards Riley. "Before Rhubes, Dak was head over heels for Tasha Abbot."

"_Tasha Abbot_?" Riley repeated, raising her eyebrows. "That chick who was in Varsity Vampires with you?" She made a small face. "The girl who has granny hands?"

"Remind me never to tell you a secret again," Dak commented, giving WayneWayne an over the top smile. "And Tasha and I hit it off well. But, I quickly found out that she was way high maintenance and got up into your face if you looked at her sideways." Dak shook his head and sighed. "She let her fame get to her, which is not what I look for in a girl if I'm going to date in the industry."

"Ah, which is why you're attracted to my sister," Riley said with a nod and a knowing look. "Now, every now and then I like to be a good sister and tell you to back off, but considering my siblings and I are taking a small break from music, I need all the entertainment I can get, so purse away." She waved her hand in the air, seconds before the front door to the apartment opened and Rhuben walked in, carrying a stack of mail. "We got more?"

"Yep," Rhuben replied, dropping the stacks of envelopes onto the table. She then coughed, waving her hand in the air. "Are you spray painting again? Ronan said you weren't supposed to."

"So, I'll just febreeze the place," Riley replied with her famous one-shouldered shrug.

"_Or_ you could've taken my suggestion and opened the windows and used a fan to blow it outside," WayneWayne said in a sing-song voice. "But, what does it matter. No one listens to me anyway." He then moved back to what he was doing to help Riley. He was taking all of the (rinsed out) soda cans from the Jacksons' recycling, taking all the silver tabs off the cans.

"What are you making anyway?" Rhuben asked, sorting through the rest of the mail.

"I don't know yet," Riley replied with a sigh. "You done with your photography project?"

"Haven't even started," Rhuben replied with a smirk, looking up from the envelopes. "You know I do well under pressure. Besides, Ronan hasn't even had time to approve my topic yet." She started ripping manila colored envelopes into shreds before dumping them into the trashcan. "You figured he'd stop by now."

"That's what I was saying," Riley commented with a shake of her head. "But you know _Robbie_, he never gives up on anything."

"Speaking of which, Dak has to ask you a question," WayneWayne pointed out, an amused look on his face.

"No," Rhuben immediately replied before Dak could even open his mouth.

"Harsh," Dak commented, arching an eyebrow. "I haven't even asked you anything yet."

"Dakary Zevon, the list of reasons why we should never, _ever_, go out are endless," Rhuben replied, arching an eyebrow as she turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. "On top of it is the fact that I'm not interested."

"I'm hurt to think that the only thing you think I'm good for is asking you out," Dak said, pretending to be hurt, putting a hand over his heart. He made a face, briefly closing his eyes when he heard Riley and WayneWayne laughing.

"Your name is _Dakary_?" Riley asked in between fits of laughter. "_Seriously_?"

"Shut up," Dak groaned, reaching out a hand to cuff WayneWayne on the back of the head. "I told you not to tell anyone."

"It was bound to slip out," WayneWayne replied, with a smile.

"What do you want, Urkel?" Rhuben deadpanned.

"My parents won't be able to make it home for Liz's dance recital at her school, so I was wondering if you wanted to go," Dak replied, putting his hands up defensively. "Not as a date but as a friend. I know she'd appreciate it if you could go. I'll buy the ticket, just give them my name at the door. It's this weekend at 2:00pm." He then gave a her a warm smile and added, "And maybe we could get ice cream afterwards."

Rhuben pursed her lips as she thought. "Yes, on the recital, and as for ice cream, let me think about it."

"Really?" Dak asked, his eyes widening slightly.

"No," Rhuben replied, rolling her eyes.

"You're kidding," Dak said, raising his eyebrows. "We can't disappoint everyone like that."

Rhuben gave him an odd look. "Disappoint who?"

"Well, everyone," Dak replied, dipping his brush into neon green paint. "Like our friends. How are they ever going to tell you that I'm no good for you if you won't go out with me?" An amused look crossed Rhuben's face. "And what about my friends?"

"Your friends are our friends, Teen Icon," Riley reminded him.

"My _other_ friends," Dak replied, making a face at her. Riley just stuck her tongue out at him in reply. Dak shook his head before turning back towards Rhuben. "They're just waiting for the chance to hustle me about hanging with the chick that's so out of my league it's not even funny? Come on, a lot of people have a lot riding on this."

"Wow," Rhuben said, amazed. She titled her head to the side. "You have other friends?" She then gave him a toothy grin. "Forget it, Dak."

"I had to try," Dak replied with a shrug.

"Of course, we can't let you go through the day without filling your daily quota of being turned down," WayneWayne replied, his lips twitching into a smirk. "What kind of friends would we be if that were to happen?"

"Where is everyone anyway?" Rhuben asked, turning towards her sister.

"Um, Sydney is at Palm Woods Park with Kendall," Riley replied, looking towards the ceiling as she thought. "He promised Sydney he'd spend the day with him. And Patrick and Noah took Katie and Lizzie to that pottery place near the boardwalk. Ronan's out somewhere. He said he'd be back late and he left pizza money."

"Alright, cool," Rhuben replied with a nod. "Well, I'll leave you to your art project then." She then turned on her heels and headed into her room.

"Rhubes, wait," Dak said, pushing his chair back, hurrying after her. He stopped in the doorway to her room and stood there for a moment before walking over to her bed, where she was sitting, cross legged, a school book open in front of her. "Look, Riles told me about why you don't want to go out with me."

"Really?" Rhuben asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she peered up at him.

"She said that you're worried about people finding out about your abuse if we start dating," Dak replied, sitting down at the edge of her bed. "I understand why you're worried about it."

"Riley doesn't know anything," Rhuben muttered, shaking her head. "That's not why I don't want to go out with you."

"It's not?" Dak asked, blinking.

That really threw him for a loop. Riley was right, they did live in the past. Their actions everyday were clearly dictated by that. They didn't like their brothers going anywhere with people they didn't know, but that was just common sense as well, and he noticed that while they were improving, moving on with their lives, they still walked with their heads down, and flinched whenever something moved quickly out of the corner of their eye.

"The next time you have a problem with me, try coming to me first," Rhuben commented, her upper lip curling. "I hate being talked about, you should know that."

"I know, I'm sorry," Dak replied. He reached out a hand and shook Rhuben's foot. "I honestly think we'd be great together, that's all."

"And, honestly, I'm not interested," Rhuben replied, looking annoyed, scratching at her eyebrow. "_Please_, stop asking me. I just want to be friends, Dak. That's all." Dak silently peered at her. "Seriously."

"Alright," Dak replied with a sigh and a nod. "I'll just leave you to your homework."

"Thanks," Rhuben replied as Dak got to his feet. "Are you still good with math?" Dak nodded. "Mind…if I come to you if I need help? Ronan's offered to help but you know I hate getting help from teachers."

"Yeah, no problem," Dak replied with a small smile. "I'd be happy to help. With anything."

"I know. Thanks."

* * *

><p>Ronan let out a heavy sigh as he stared up at the large building in front of him. He briefly closed his eyes before pushing off the hood of his car, slowly making his way up the long stairs and into the building; over to the receptionist desk.<p>

"Hi, how are you today?" he asked quietly. He didn't know why he was whispering, but in a place like this, he felt like he had to. The whole building was quiet.

"I'm doing just fine, thank you," the woman replied with a bright smile. "How are you today, Mr. McGuire?" She then gave him a pointed look as she scribbled his name in on a sign-in sheet. "Will you actually be visiting with a patient today?"

Ronan's lips twitched into a small smile. He didn't blame her for her pointed attitude. Anytime he had actually gone to the rehabilitation center, he never actually visited Robert. He knew that as soon as he did, he'd be changing everything. He didn't know how long he'd be able to keep his visits from his kids.

When the first letter appeared at his apartment, he had discussed openly with his kids about whether or not they wanted to visit Robert. They had all agreed that they didn't want to, and he said that he would go to talk to him once and then they would move on with their lives. That would've been easier to follow if he wasn't so nervous about having to talk to the man that had, for years, hurt his kids.

"Well, looks like we found the place alright."

Ronan cringed at the loud voice and slowly turned around to face Gustavo and Kelly as they made their way into the house. Never before had Ronan been relieved and embarrassed to see his friends at the same time.

"_Gustavo_," Kelly hissed, elbowing Gustavo in the side. "Keep your voice down."

"Yeah, man use your inside voice," Ronan added, offhandedly.

"I _am_ using my _inside voice_," Gustavo barked in reply, shooting some spit onto Ronan's face. The smaller man winced when the droplets of spittle hit him in the face. "Sorry, bud."

"Sure," Ronan replied, using his shirt sleeve to wipe his face before turning back towards the receptionist. "Three passes please."

"Mhm, these must be your two guests," the woman commented, glancing a the +2 that sat next to Ronan's name. She pulled three lanyards with laminated visitors passes off a hook that hung above her computer and handed it over to him. "Sorry."

"Not as sorry as I am," Ronan muttered, taking the passes, looping one around his neck before handing one to Kelly and Gustavo. "Thanks for coming. I'm assuming Kacy didn't want to come with you?"

"She's still trying to decide whether or not she wants to come," Kelly replied, clasping her hands in front of her. She reached out a hand and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sure she'll give you a definite answer soon."

"Nevertheless, I'm glad you guys are here," Ronan replied, before turning on his heels, leading the way towards the back of the house. He took a staircase up to the third floor and stopped at the end of the hallway, taking in deep breaths.

"You ok?" Kelly asked, noticing Ronan's hesitation.

"Oh, yeah," Ronan replied with a nod. "I'm just, uh, giving Gustavo time to catch his breath." He glanced over at his friend who was sitting on a bench, breathing heavily. "You ok, buddy?" Gustavo merely gave his friend a thumb's up. "Ok, I think we should wait here for a little while."

"I understand that you're nervous, Ronan, we all are," Kelly said in a gentle voice, moving to squeeze into the empty spot on the bench next to Gustavo. "We'll go when you're ready." She patted Gustavo on the back. "Just breathe, Gustavo. Breathe."

"Thanks," Ronan replied, rubbing his hands together before he started popping his knuckles. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, and looked around the white hospital hallway, glowing brightly with fluorescent lights. He let out a calming breath, "Ok, let's go."

He and Kelly helped Gustavo to his feet and lead the way down the hallway. He swiveled his head from side to side as he looked at the numbers, before stopping at 327. Ronan lifted a hand and rapped on the door. There was a shuffling sound behind it before the door was swung open and a man with shoulder length dark hair stared back at him. If it wasn't for the grey eyes that Ronan had seen for years, he wouldn't have recognized the man.

"Rob?" he asked quietly.

The man silently looked at Ronan, Kelly, and Gustavo, his face void of any emotion. Without the constant look of contempt on the man's face, he looked…different, like a new person. Just like everything in the room behind him, he wore tan.

"You've finally made it," Robert commented in a quiet voice. He took a step back and waved them inside. "Please, come in." He picked a book up off his bed and placed it on the bedside table.

"Rob." Gustavo stepped forward into the room and Robert's expression finally changed. He looked bewildered.

"Hi, Robert," Kelly said, suddenly shy for whatever reason. She had no idea.

"What are you guys doing here?" Robert asked, moving to sit down on his bed. He motioned towards the chairs and stools around the room. Ronan noticed how many there were as he sat down, Kelly and Gustavo following his lead. "Where are my—" He trailed off, a muscle in his jaw working, "_your _…kids?"

"They're not coming," Ronan replied lamely. "They don't want to see you."

"Ok?" Robert said as more of a question, still staring at Gustavo and Kelly.

"My friends wanted to come," Ronan replied. "We have a few questions for you. If that's ok." Robert nodded.

"So...how have you been?" Kelly squeaked out, filling the silence that fell over them. She cringed as soon as the words left her mouth.

Robert let out a sarcastic, pained laugh. "Fantastic." he replied sarcastically. She was about to apologize but he kept going. "Let's see...I had a lot of money, blew it on alcohol, cigarettes, everything. Lost my job, lost my kids, humiliated myself in front of what seems like the entire world, then ended up in a shithole apartment." His grey eyes went hard as he swept them over the three adults. "How have you been?"

"The kids are…great," Ronan muttered, scratching at the back of his neck. "They're getting by day by day. They're happy." He saw Robert wince. "They, uh, decided to take a break from now until the new year. They'll be working on their music again in January."

"And your…_dogs_?" Robert asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Getting more and more popular," Gustavo replied, crossing his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at Robert. "Yes, sir, I couldn't be more proud of them. Kelly and I are actually seeing if we can plan a world tour for them."

"Good," Robert replied with a nod. "I'm glad." Gustavo snorted and Robert fixed his gaze on him. "Something funny about that?"

"No, there's nothing funny about my ex-rival complimenting me," Gustavo replied, his voice getting louder and louder with each word. "There's _nothing_ funny with that same man _pretending_ like all is ok between us. There's NOTHING FUNNY about that same man BEATING his kids just to get AHEAD OF ME!"

"Gustavo," Ronan said, suddenly sounding tired, rubbing at his temples.

"DON'T GUSTAVO ME, MCGUIRE!" Gustavo roared, getting to his feet. "I said I'd come here, but I didn't say I'd be civil. This guy needs to understand that what he did WAS WRONG!"

"I know," Robert replied, setting his jaw. "I know that what I did, was doing, was wrong. And, honestly? At that point I didn't care. I wanted…I _needed_ the money. I needed the notoriety. Those kids just got in my way, _every_ step of the way." He bowed his head. "I had to prove to them that I could make it. My dad didn't think I could make a name for myself. I had to prove that I could."

"That's a dumb reason," Kelly mumbled. "I know that there are risks to living in a house of abuse. You pass it on to your children. But you had a choice, and you made the wrong one."

"Really? Would it have made any difference?" Robert snapped back. "I can't take it back now anyway. Now, I'm stuck in this shit hole, trying to better myself." He lazily waved his arms in the air.

"You have no one but yourself to blame for putting yourself in here," Gustavo said with a cheeky grin. "You were the one who agreed to the plea bargain, and now you're acting like the victim."

"I just want to know why," Ronan commented, shooting Gustavo a warning look. "Why did you hurt my kids like that? That's all they want to know, and I'd like to be a good parent for them and give them the closure they want."

"The only way they'll get their closure is if they talk to me themselves," Robert replied, eyeing Ronan warily. "It was them I asked for in the letters, not you. The only thing I ask of you is for your forgiveness."

"You're not going to get my forgiveness until you answer my question," Ronan replied, getting to his feet. "But seeing as you still haven't changed, that's looking to be unlikely. Have fun in here by yourself." He moved towards the door, flinging it open. "Let's go."

"Thanks for stopping by," Robert replied, giving a finger wave. "Oh, and Ronan." Ronan set his jaw, leaning back into the room. "All I want is to apologize to them in person. I have changed. I'm just sad you can't see that."

* * *

><p><strong>And there's the next chapter. The drama in this fic really starts to move forward from here. And you finally get to see Robert after a while. Hope you guys liked this chapter.<strong>

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	8. You Will Always Be My Best Friend

**~You Will Always Be My Best Friend~**

* * *

><p>"By the way, Riles, thanks for telling Dak about why I didn't want to go out with him," Rhuben commented, one hand pressed into her cheek, the other drumming the table. She and Riley were sitting at a local café, waiting for Logan to come back with their food and drinks.<p>

"No problem," Riley replied, just as coolly, pausing in her attempt to braid her damp, wavy, hair. "Sorry, sis, but the guy is driving me insane."

"At least he's not asking _you_ out every five minutes," Rhuben commented, sitting up straight, putting both arms down on the table. Riley gave the famous one-shouldered shrug. "You didn't tell him the other reason did you?"

"You have to tell him that yourself," Riley replied, with a twitch of her eyebrow, dropping her arms.

"Tell who what?" Logan asked, making his way back over to their table, arms filled with cups of soda, a box of nachos, a small pizza, and a hamburger and fries. "A little help, please?"

"You shouldn't have offered to get everything, Logie," Riley commented with a small laugh immediately reaching for the pizza and one of the bigger cups. "You know we eat like horses."

"That's what we get for being active all the time," Rhuben added, taking the burger as Logan sat down. "Thanks, Logan."

"No problem," Logan replied, taking his seat, reaching for a napkin from the dispenser in the middle of the table. "Now…tell who what?"

"Tell Dak the other reason Rhubes won't go out with him," Riley replied, licking the pizza sauce off her thumb before she lifted it and took a large bite out of it. "I told him that the main reason why Rhubes wouldn't go out with him is because we're worried about papers and magazines and stuff finding out about our past."

"That's understandable," Logan replied with a shrug, dipping a large chip into the portion of cheese. "But, what's the other reason? I mean, it's obvious you like him."

"I never actually try and hide the fact that I like people, Logie," Rhuben replied in a monotone before taking a bite of her burger. As she chewed, she moved her hand in front of her mouth. "You guys are just too stupid to figure it out right away."

Logan opened his mouth as if he was going to argue with her but changed he mind and shrugged. "Even I'm smart enough not to argue with that," he commented. "So, what is it you're not telling him?"

Rhuben sighed, glancing around the café. Not only did she hated talking about her feelings, but she hated talking about her feelings with Logan, despite the fact that they were best friends. Sure, he gave good advice, but he always went about it in an annoyingly analytical kind of way.

There was a couple in the corner, whispering to each other. Next to them was a mother and father with three little kids, all younger than ten. At the outdoor counter were two girls chatting animatedly with each other. And hidden in the far corner next to the counter, was another couple, talking quietly, seeming to enjoy their conversation, as if no one else was there.

"If I _did_ decide to go out with him, would I be going out with my friend or would I be going out with the most famous teen on the planet?" Rhuben asked aloud, flicking her eyes over at Logan before taking a sip of her soda. "_That's_ why."

Logan looked doubtful, but Riley jumped in to explain. "We've known Dak for a good while now," Riley explained. "And for the most part, he doesn't let the fame go to his head. He's great with his fans and they all respect him."

"You're not the type to lie to your fans and neither is he," Logan commented, wiping his fingers on his napkin. He laughed a little bit. "Hell, from what you've told me since he was hired to help you guys out, and once the press got wind of it, he's never had anything bad to say about you guys, Rhubes especially." Rhuben made a noise have between amusement and wanting him to get to the point. "If you're worried about your private life being exposed—"

"That's not really it," Rhuben replied with a shake of her head. Logan lifted his eyebrows. "Yes, I don't lie to my fans, and if I start dating Dak my private life will be everywhere. Given the fact that it's only my dating life, it's not that big a deal." She looked around, spreading out her arms. "Are there any fans here?"

Riley twisted in her seat, wrinkling her nose. "Probably," she replied, tossing a braid of her shoulder. "But we made it clear that we don't really like being interrupted when we're eating just for an autograph."

"But there are still those people that don't listen to those rules and go right up to us," Rhuben added, leaning back in her chair. "And once someone sees it, others think it's ok and then soon you have a whole crowd." She shook her head. "We know how to handle it because we get small crowds. We tell people we're not signing anything at that time, but if they're still around when we're done we'll sign everything. But—"

"Dak signs everything," Riley added and Logan nodded, a look of realization crossing his face. "Don't' get me wrong, I'm proud of everything he's accomplished, but even WayneWayne gets annoyed of it."

She ignored the harsh look that passed over Logan's face. When WayneWayne tried to push and shove his way into BTR, having to possibly kick Logan out, the boys of Big Time Rush didn't take it lightly. While they have become acquaintances with him, they still didn't truly consider him a friend.

But, WayneWayne had been trying hard to prove to Big Time Rush, that they could trust him and that he was sorry. "Those two would be sitting at, I don't know, a Juice Bar or something, talking about something important and before you know it, an hour would've gone by and Dak would _still_ be signing autographs."

"If you like him that much, you should give him the benefit of the doubt," Logan commented, clicking his tongue. "It's obvious you're really happy around him." He gave a shrug. "I say you go for it."

"Coming from you, that's really…odd," Rhuben commented, giving Logan a confused look. "Last I checked, you weren't a big fan of Dak."

"It's not that I'm not a fan of him," Logan replied with a shake of his head. "Look, Dak is huge in Hollywood and in turn, he's made you guys huge by association." He took a long sip of his drink and smacked his lips. "It's been proven that 99% of the time that once you start dating a huge celebrity, you get even more famous." He then looked over at Riley and added, "Same goes for when you're just friends with someone. It makes people curious and they want to know more about you."

"Which worked out in your favor," Riley commented with a smirk, chewing on her straw. Then a thoughtful look crossed her face and then she frowned. "Robert was right." Her frown deepened and she added, "I never said that."

"Noted," Logan replied, his eyebrows twitching. "Anyway, I'm really just worried that once you guys start dating, you'll be even more huge than you are before, and it'll start going to your head."

"That won't happen," Rhuben replied. "We've been famous for years and that didn't change our friendship with you." She lowered her voice, shifting uncomfortably in her seat an added. "It was the abuse that did that."

"That too," Logan said snapping his fingers. "Both your problems are really linked with each other. The more famous you get, the more people dig into your lives." He crossed is arms over his chest. "I've always known you guys to be risk takers and you said you were going to tell your fans about it eventually." He looked back and forth between his friends, a serious look on his face. "Which is more important to you; your happiness or your career?"

Riley and Rhuben glanced at each other from across the table. Riley raised her eyebrows in a silent question and Rhuben silently nodded. Logan looked back and forth at the two of them, suddenly uncomfortable. It was weird for him to have their silent conversations with each other. From the outside looking in, they would just make faces at each other, but to them they would have deep conversations. To people on the outside, it really sucked as they didn't know whether or not the topic of conversation was about them or not.

"There's something else we have to tell you," Riley commented, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger, before bringing the end of her hair into her mouth, chewing on it, one of her many nervous habits. "The real reason we asked you to hang out tonight."

"Hair," Logan commented, knocking her hand away from her mouth. "Did that documentary on the hair ball really not have an effect on you?" Trying to break Riley of her hair chewing habit, he had forced her to watch a documentary about a woman who was a hair chewer and after complaining of stomach pains, had surgery, removing a 10lb ball of hair.

"You know me, I used to want to be a doctor," Riley explained with a smile, brushing her hair from her face. "Surgery documentaries don't freak me out." Her smiled faded and she rubbed her left arm with her right hand. "Doctors do."

Rhuben gave a small laugh, slightly shaking her head. "Logie, Robert's been sending us letters," she explained with a sigh. "He wants us to visit him in rehab."

Logan's eyes widened as soon as the words reached his ears. He slowly let out a breath of air, licking his lips, trying to calm himself. "Uh…what did you guys decide?"

"We're not going to see him," Rhuben replied instantly and Logan let out a sigh of relief. "Any letter we get, we just shred and throw away. Ronan said it was ultimately up to us, he wasn't going to force us to go."

"But, he went by himself," Riley explained. She looked towards the sky in thought. "About two weeks ago. He said whether or not we wanted to go, he wanted some answers, but he was only going to go once." She then tapped her chin in thought. "Now that I think about it, he hasn't said anything about his visit. But you know us, we don't like to pry."

"Yeah right," Logan said with a snort. "You guys are the kings and queens of prying."

"Prying and being perceptive are two different things, _Logie-Bear_," Riley commented with a grin. As Logan winced, she reached out and stook some of his nachos, shoving it into her mouth. "So, if we _did_ want to go and talk to Robert, what would you have to say about it?"

"Nothing," Logan said with a shrug. "I'm behind you guys no matter what you decide to do. I may not like it, but I'm behind you guys."

"Thanks, Logie," Rhuben said with a smile.

"What are best friends for?" Logan replied with a shrug. "Does anybody else know about Robert?"

"Only us, Ronan, and you," Riley replied with a shake of her head, her pig tails gently slapping her in the face. "And let's keep it that way as well. I don't want the press to get wind of that as well."

"No problem."

* * *

><p><strong>So this is a shorter chapter, but I wanted to show more about why Rhuben won't go out with Dak, and their friendship with Logan. Adrenaline Rush will be updated again soon.<strong>

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	9. All the Things She Said

**~All The Things She Said~**

* * *

><p>Kacy set her newspaper down when she heard the chair, that sat opposite her at the coffee shop, was pulled out, sending a scratching sound through the air. Ronan set his cup down on the table and then dropped into the chair with a heavy sigh.<p>

"So…how'd it go?" Kacy slowly asked, dragging her cup towards her, lifting it towards her mouth and blowing on it. Ronan merely gave her a look before he started pouring sugar into his coffee. "That bad, huh?"

"I don't know what it is, but there's something about that guy—" Ronan paused to take a long sip of his coffee, "that drives me up the wall. He doesn't even have to say anything."

"It's because of your past with him," Kacy explained, tapping her finger nails on her mug. "You can't help but think of everything bad he's done. You don't want to look past it." She sighed and rested her arms on the table. "Sorry, I didn't go."

"No worries," Ronan replied waving his hand in the air. "I'm sure you had a good reason."

"I just couldn't go," Mrs. Knight replied, brushing her auburn hair behind her ears. "Thinking about Robert being there and the state of your kids—"

"You don't have to explain anything to me," Ronan commented, putting up a hand, stopping Kacy in the middle of her sentence. "I understand."

"I want to talk about it," Kacy replied. Ronan stirred his small spoon through his coffee as he nodded. Kacy pursed her lips for a moment before letting out another sigh. "Robert reminds me a lot of my ex-husband; short tempered, looking for an excuse to yell at anybody, always pushing people around when he doesn't get his way. To have to go and visit him in the rehab center, it would mean that I would, at some point, have to face Kevin again. And I don't know if I could do that."

"I don't want to feel like I'm forcing you," Ronan replied.

"And you're not, don't worry," Kacy replied giving him a small smile. "I made a promise to myself a long time ago, that I'd only go and finally finish things with Kevin only when Kendall and Katie are ready for it as well. It would be too hard for me to force them to go through something they weren't ready for."

Ronan frowned, his eyebrows furrowing together. "I think I made a mistake," he muttered. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair, letting out a breath of air through his nose. "It's still hard for me to know when to make decisions for the good of my kids and when to make decisions for myself."

"No one ever said parenting was easy," Kacy commented before taking a long sip of her coffee. "And I'm only dealing with two kids. Well, technically five." Ronan arched an eyebrow. "We're in the same boat, then."

"Only, you know what you're doing more than I do," Ronan replied.

"Oh, don't get yourself down," Kacy said, reaching out a hand to pat Ronan's. "You're doing an amazing job with your kids, whether you believe you are or not. You can tell they really respect you."

Ronan's lips twitched into a smile. "Funny thing is, Riley and Rhuben used to hate me," he explained. Kacy gave him a shocked look. "Yeah, I know, but it's true. According to them, any question I asked them about their lives, just to get to know them in terms of their music and everything, that I was 'prying'."

"Bet they didn't take that too lightly," Kacy commented with a laugh.

"Couldn't get a word out of them for months," Ronan explained, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not from any of 'em. Only when Robert really started—well, dumping isn't the best word, but that's pretty much what he did—dumping them on me, did they find out that I wasn't such a bad guy. But, I knew I had their respect from the beginning."

"How so?" Kacy asked, looking confused.

"In the years I've known them, they've never lied to me," Ronan explained. "Not once. I get a straight answer out of 'em whenever I ask; if it's something I'd rather not know, I just don't ask 'em."

"Wow," Kacy replied, her eyes widening slightly. "I'm actually impressed."

"Thanks," Ronan replied. "So, do you think it was bad that I went to see Robert anyway? I mean, I said that it was their decision about whether or not they wanted to go and they chose not to."

"No, I think you did the right thing," Kacy replied with a shake of her head. "You need closure as much as they do. Are you going to go back?"

"I don't know," Ronan replied with a shake of his head. "I mean, I only went to get answers, and he said he wasn't going to talk to me; he only wants to see my kids." He shifted in his seat. "But, I don't like the idea of it. I mean, he's obviously implying he wants to see them alone. I'm afraid he'll…I don't know, brain wash them against me or something."

"I don't think he'd do that—"

"You didn't see him, Kacy," Ronan interrupted her, setting his jaw. "He was so different, but same at the exact same time. I don't think he's going to stop sending them letters even if I ask him to." He brought his hand up to his mouth and started chewing on his thumbnail. "I think he's up to something. He—he looked sane on the outside, but, I don't know, he had a wild look in his eyes."

"Maybe he's just been in rehab for too long," Kacy suggested and Ronan let out a small laugh in reply.

"That guy has never been right in the head," Ronan commented with a small eye roll. "I've been reading a lot on the affects of child abuse as you grow up. I always wondered why Robert acted the way he did. He must've gotten some sort of abuse as a kid as well to have acted the way he did." He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly looking tired. "That still doesn't give him the right to do what he did. I'm just worried that something like that will happen to them."

"If its one thing I know, from being around your kids, they'd never let that happen," Kacy replied, shaking her head. "You can just tell. They'd never forgive themselves if they let something like that happen."

"I know, I'm just worried," Ronan replied before he finished his coffee. "It may seem like they've gotten over it, but you can tell they really haven't. Whenever someone brings it up off handedly they make jokes about it. I feel like talking to Robert would finally get them to accept what happened to them and start to move on."

"Well, if they don't want to go, you can't force them," Kacy replied. "I think you're doing a great job with them and taking the rest of the year off could really help them de-sress and actually take the time to be kids."

"I'm hoping," Ronan replied. "Anyway, Gustavo practically jumped the guy while we were there. Not that I blame him. I didn't think he cared so much."

"Oh, Gustavo cares," Kacy replied with a small laugh. "He just likes people thinking of him as a loud, pushy, 'let's get down to business' type when in reality, he truly cares about the people he works with. If he didn't care, he wouldn't have gone with you to see Robert, _and_ he wouldn't have hired you and your kids to help Big Time Rush."

"Yeah, he's a great friend," Ronan agreed. His eyes shifted back and forth and he added, "Don't tell him I said that."

"Don't worry," Kacy replied. "Anyway, um, I don't think I'm going to ever go and visit Robert." She brushed her hair behind her ears. "Um, I think it'd be best if I solve my own similar conflicts first."

"I see," Ronan said with a nod.

"You're mad aren't you?" Kacy replied, giving him a worried look and Ronan shook his head. "You're not?"

"It'd be pretty stupid to get mad over something like that," Ronan explained, pushing one foot against the table, leaning back against his chair, balancing on the back two legs. He waved his hand in the air, showing that it didn't bother him. "I mean, I understand. We were both in the—sorta—same predicament, and we have to deal with it in different ways."

Kacy peered at him, trying to searching his eyes for anything that would give away what he was actually feeling. _How does he do it? With one sway of the hand, all worries are gone._ _If only life was that simple. _Ronan gave her a fleeting smile, which she returned. _How is it that he's able to take this head on while I want to avoid it at all costs?__  
><em>


	10. Take a Chance on Me

**~Take a Chance on Me~**

* * *

><p>"Hey..."<p>

Lizzie gave a start and, removing her hands from her face, revealed a tear-stained, sweet face. It was a sweet face indeed with those large, green eyes that could melt anybody's heart. She gazed at Rhuben silently, her lips quivering slightly.

"I...I see that Dak finally told you about your parents?" she asked, moving to sit on the edge of the teenager's bed.

She laughed. It was a laugh full of bitterness.

"Figured I'd be used to it by now," she replied, using her shirt sleeve to wipe at her eyes. She frowned when she saw a black smudge of her eyeliner and mascara. "It's obvious they don't care about anything but their jobs."

"I know what you're going through, kid," Rhuben commented, placing a hand on her foot, giving it a small shake. "Believe me."

"How can you know?"she asked, dabbing at her cheeks.

"You've never met Robert have you?" Rhuben asked, tilting her head to the side.

Lizzie shook her head. "I know about him, though."

"Not surprised, really," Rhuben replied, with a small shake of her head. "Ah, well, my predicament is a little bit different. While Robert was around, he was way obsessed with my job and the money I was making. But, if anything we did didn't have to do with either of those, he didn't care." She used a hand to brush her hair out of her face. "It's actually no wonder we're more attached to Ronan; Robert would always push us off on him."

"I wish I could do something for you," Lizzie commented, her crying finally stopping. Rhuben gave her a confused look. "It's obvious that your past still bothers you guys. You may not even fully get over it and I hate knowing that anything can remind you of it."

"It's not so bad when you get used to it," Rhuben explained to the younger girl. "It's very disagreeable, but when you need to bear up with something day after day then you sort of adapt to it." She sighed and then added, "Well anyway, I just came up to tell you that I'm going to your recital."

"I know," Lizzie replied, breaking into a large grin. "Dak told me. I think you should go out for ice cream with him as well. You'd have a great time, I know you would." Rhuben stared at her, shocked by the sudden change of emotion, before that shocked look turned into a look of annoyance. "He's really nice and funny, and smart…well, I guess you know that since you're friends with him and—what?" Lizzie's green eyes widened. "Why don't you want to date my brother? You guys would be great together."

"Here's the thing about your brother, Lizz," Rhuben commented, running her fingers through her hair. "Getting to know him over the years, I know all of the good qualities about him."

"But?" Lizzie pressed, arching an eyebrow.

"Think about it, Lizz," Rhuben said, a serious look crossing her face. "The press are already on my case about just being friends with the guy." She rolled her eyes and ran her hands over her face. "Making up stories about supposed dates and stuff like that. I can only imagine what would happen if we actually went out." Lizzie gave a small smile. "Not only that, but your brother doesn't really know how to say 'no' to fans whenever he, WayneWayne, Riles, and I are hanging out. Before we know it, we have fans swarming on a day where we'd rather _not_ sign any autographs. And it doesn't hurt that your parents hate me."

Lizzie then winced. It was no secret that Mr. and Mrs. Zevon were out of the house so much that they barely knew anything about Dak's or Lizzie's friends. For the longest time, they kept calling Riley, Ryan or Raleigh or any other guys name they can come up with that starts with an 'R', and would always give the Jackson-McGuires looks of pity as if they couldn't fathom how they survived the life they lived and how they would make it in the rest of the world, let alone know that they had any talent.

If that wasn't the cherry on top, it seemed like the more Dak's feelings grew for Rhuben, the less they seemed to "know" who she was or care for that matter. And if it was one thing that Rhuben wanted to accomplish in life, it was to have people accept her for who she is and not what she's done.

A thoughtful look then crossed Lizzie's face "It doesn't matter if the press talks about you," she commented. "Let them think what they want. Soon it will get old. It always does." She smiled.

"Yea..." Rhuben frowned. "I just don't understand why people have to make up things. Isn't there real stuff out there?"

"Yes, but the real stuff isn't as exciting as the mysterious gossip type things," Lizzie replied. She then got off her bed and rooted around under her bed before pulling out a shoe box, flipping open the top. "Ever since Dak revealed to _TigerBeat _that he has feelings for you, stuff about you guys have popped up at least once in every magazine, _which_, I have collected over the years." She lifted the box and flipped it upside down to prove her point. Rhuben eyed each one of them, warily. " If something is actually happening, no one but real news reporters want to write about it." She shrugged. "It's all really simple."

"I understand. I'm used to people having something to say about me," Rhuben replied with a heavy sigh. "But involving you and my family to just spread lies, it really pisses me off."

"Unfortunately, given the fact that BTR are going on tour soon, and you guys are taking a break from your music, giving yourself more free time, more stories are bound to pop up," Lizzie commented. "_Especially_, if and _once_ they find out you're going with him to my recital and ice cream afterwards."

"Hey, I haven't agreed to tha—"

"It's really okay, for me," Lizzie replied with a smile. "That way people will learn more about me and stop figuring I want to do what Dak does." She frowned a little bit. "But, I _don't_ like how people insinuate that I'm riding Dak's wave of fame. I like to get attention for stuff I do myself."

"Or dating one of my brothers," Rhuben added. Lizzie grinned and Rhuben rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, if you're tired of the magazines making things up about you, then why don't you give them something to talk about?" Lizzie asked, a mysterious look crossing her face. "I mean, come on, Dak is _always_ going to have feelings for you and because of that, people are always going to ask him about you the two of you."

"You mean..." Rhuben stared at her.

"Go on a date," Lizzie replied with a smile and a nod. "Go get ice cream with him, it won't kill you. I mean, he was the first friend, kinda, you made when you got out here, so it's not like there's anything to be nervous about. It's just Dak." She smiled.

"I..." Rhuben frowned. "You don't understand, Lizz." She shook her head and sighed. "The press likes to get as much information on the people they talk about, like their past. What if…what if they find out about the abuse?"

"What if they do?" Lizzie asked in reply, a serious look on her face. "It's something you've wanted to tell your fans for a while. I honestly don't think you'll get backlash for it. In fact, I think you'll draw in _more_ fans that are in the same boat. Plus, what better love story; you find your handsome prince to take you away from the harsh past you've been living with for years."

"You've been watching too many Disney movies," Rhuben commented, dryly, getting off the bed. "I hope you're feeling better nonetheless." She gave Lizzie a small wave and left her room, making her way downstairs and into the kitchen, where Dak was sitting, tapping his pencil against an open math book.

"Well?" he asked, lifting his head when Rhuben pulled out a chair, sitting down next to him.

"Mission accomplished," Rhuben replied, leaning back in her chair. "She's not upset anymore. Now, I wouldn't put it past her if she's planning our wedding."

"You must be new," Dak commented with a small laugh. "She's been doing that pretty much since she met you." He pointed his pencil at her. "She thinks we should get married on the beach, by the way."

"Sill me, I don't quite remember getting a ring," Rhuben replied, lifting her left hand, wiggling her fingers.

Dak smirked, tapping his pencil against his cheek. "That's big news for the gossip mill out there," he commented. "Jumped straight past dating and decide to get married." He then saw the thoughtful look on Rhuben's face. "What?"

"Lizzie was saying that, the only way to stop the press from spreading lies about us, was to give them something to talk about," Rhuben replied, slowly. "Which, yeah, I guess makes sense, but—"

"But, then that would _really_ give the press a reason to follow us around," Dak finished for her. "Yeah, I get what you mean." He shrugged. "Besides, I was just about to give up on trying to get you to date me."

"…No you weren't," Rhuben with a small laugh, shaking her head, after staring at him for a moment. Dak merely shrugged in reply. "What is it about me that you like so much?"

Dak glanced at his watch, "As cheesy as it sounds; how long do you have, because it'd take a while to explain," he commented. A serious look then crossed his face as he set down his pencil, closing the math book to give her his full attention. "Look, Rhubes, I just want one chance to show you that I'm not just the 'Teen Icon' or whatever they're calling me these days. Look, just one date is all I'm asking. If it doesn't work out, well, then I'd be happy just being your friend."

"How many times are you just going to ignore the fact that, time and time again, I don't want to go out with you?" Rhuben asked, suddenly annoyed, lowering her chair to the floor, giving him a hard stare.

"That's the thing; you've never actually given me a reason as to _why_ you don't want to go out with me," Dak commented, running his fingers through his hair.

"Oh, I don't know, Dak, maybe because I don't want to," Rhuben cried, throwing her arms into the air. "Maybe because I don't _want _the paparazzi constantly stalking me, maybe because sooner or later I might actually admit that I li-" she stopped short and immediately closed her mouth.

Dak stared at her questioningly, "What would you admit?" He asked slowly.

"Nothing," Rhuben muttered, feeling her face burn.

"I knew it," Dak said, a grin coming to his face again. "You _do_ like me."

"Shut up," Rhuben lamely replied, cringing as she did so. Dak calmed down, giving her a peaceful smile, knowing that she, much like the rest of the kids in her family, hated talking about their feelings, or having people go on and on about it.

"But, if I like you and you like me, then what's the problem?" Dak asked, folding his arms on the table. "It's just one date, Rhubes." Rhuben chewed on her bottom lip, staying silent. "You know what your problem is? You can't make yourself have fun because you're worried that something bad is going to happen."

"Something bad _always_ happens," Rhuben replied, shooting him an annoyed look. "I mean, _hello_, Jacksons and the word 'bad', are pretty much synonymous with each other."

"I promise, nothing bad will happen," Dak replied, reaching out a hand, placing it over hers. He didn't say anything else until he was sure he had her attention. "You deserve to be happy; you all do."

"I know."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **And after this chapter, it's where all the drama starts to take a toll on their lives. It also goes back to the plot with Dak being in the musical Next to Normal and stuff. Time kinda jumps as well, but I'll always state where it is in the time frame.

You haven't seen the last of Robert, and BTR and the girls aren't really in this fic, but you'll see them from time to time. You'll be seeing more of Gustavo, Kelly, and Mrs. Knight though as they're an important part of the plot with Ronan. There will be more with Lizzie, Katie, Patirck, Noah, and Sydney. I think I'm just going to have this as a Wiley friendship side-story, but that may change as well. Still not sure how long this will be yet.

Thanks for reading. Hope you liked this chapter.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	11. First Date

**~First Date~**

* * *

><p>"You're making this into a bigger deal than it actually is, dude," Dak said into the phone as he pressed it into his ear with his shoulder. He could hear WayeWayne laugh on the other end of the phone as he pulled the plastic off the packet of popcorn in his hands.<p>

"_Excuse me_?" WayneWayne said into the phone. Dak could tell he had a wide smile on his face. "How long have you been driving me insane about your feelings with Rhuben?"

"Ha ha ha," Dak said as he rolled his eyes, pulling open the microwave door. He set the packet inside and set the timer for 3 minutes. He turned his back to the microwave and leaned against the counter, using his hand to hold the phone to his ear, resting his free arm on the counter. "We're just staying in to watch a movie. That way we can get the privacy and we won't have fans running up every five seconds."

"How romantic," WayneWayne drawled in a tone that showed he was rolling his eyes.

"_You wouldn't know romance if it came up and bit you on the ass_. _I think it's cute._" Dak heard WayneWayne let out a heavy sigh and curse in the phone. "_That's not very nice, Wally_."

"Get off the phone, Natalie," WayneWayne said to his sister. "Dak and I are talking."

"_I know. Hey, Dak_."

"Hey, Natalie," Dak replied as the microwave started beeping. He moved to get a bowl before grabbing the steaming package out of the microwave. "How are you?"

"_So, what do you have planned tonight? Wally doesn't bring Girlfriend around. Maybe you can help him out_."

"Her name is Riley," WayneWayne groaned. "I'd love it if you started using her name and she's _not_ my girlfriend."

"_Details. So what are you doing, Dak_?"

"Don't answer her," WayneWayne replied over a shuffling sound. "Natalie, _hang up_." Dak listened as he heard the two siblings arguing, another shuffling sound, a "Ha!" of triumph and then a button was pressed. "Sorry. She's off the line now."

"No worries, Lizzie's the same way," Dak replied, glancing up as the doorbell rang. "Gotta go."

"Call me once she leaves."

"Sure," Dak replied before hanging up the phone. He grabbed the bowl of popcorn and moved it into the living room, placing it on the table before going to answer the front door. "Hi."

"Hey," Rhuben replied, turning away from the street as headlights disappeared from view. "Ronan will be back later to pick me up."

"Oh, ok." Dak moved to let her into the house and she kicked off her shoes, placing them by the door. "How was your day?"

"Kinda boring actually," Rhuben replied, brushing her hair behind her ears. Dak moved to take her coat and she blinked in surprise before handing it to him. "I'm so used to being busy all day that I kinda don't know what to do with myself."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Dak replied from inside the closet. "So, um, wanna watch a movie or something?" He shut off the light and closed the door behind him, suddenly looking nervous. "I've made popcorn and got soda."

"Sure," Rhuben replied with a shrug. "I can smell it actually." She gave a small laugh and followed him into the living room.

"What movie do you want to see?" Dak asked, motioning to the many DVD cases that sat on the shelves around the large, flat screen TV.

"Any is fine," Rhuben replied, grabbing the bowl of popcorn, setting it in her lap as she sat down. Her eyebrows knitted together when she spotted the glass bottle of soda on the table. "You hate grape soda."

"I know," Dak replied over his shoulder as he picked a DVD and fed it into the player. Gabbing a remote, he pointed it at the ceiling and pressed a button causing the lights to immediately dim. "But, I know you like it. The coke is for me." He gave her a quick smile as he grabbed the TV remote and the remote for the DVD player, sitting down beside her on the couch. "There's more if you want it."

"Thanks," Rhuben replied, giving him a small smile.

"You're welcome," Dak replied as he started the movie.

He set the remotes on the table before lifting his legs off the floor, placing his feet on the table, crossing his arms over his chest. But, he couldn't pay that close attention to the movie as a million thoughts were running through his mind.

Suddenly Rhuben glanced over at him, her blue eyes seeming to glow in the light of the movie. "Is something wrong?"she asked him.

"Nope," Dak replied with a brief shake of his head. "It's just hard to pay attention when all I want to look at probably the most beautiful person I've ever seen." Rhuben blinked arching an eyebrow before her familiar smirk crossed her face.

"I was waiting for that," she commented, placing a popcorn kernel on her tongue.

"Uh…what?" Dak asked, confused.

"You flirt with me every chance you get, so I was kinda surprised you haven't even tried before now," Rhuben explained, her smile getting a little bigger, amused by the way Dak was reacting to the revelation. "So, you think I'm beautiful, huh?"

"I always have," Dak replied simply and Rhuben snorted.

"Wow," she commented, drawling out the word.

"What?" Dak asked, arching an eyebrow in return. It was his turn to smirk. He mockingly puffed out his chest and ran a hand over his hair. "You didn't know I was this charming?"

"I didn't know you were this corny," Rhuben instantly shot back. Dak rolled his eyes and she continued to explain, "Not that being corny is a bad thing." She tilted her head to the side, peering at him. "I guess I just didn't expect it from you." There was a moment of silence and then she added, "I like corn." She sighed. "Years of put downs and you don't ever really take comments without thinking there's an ulterior motive to it."

Dak cringed when he realized that he had inadvertently brought up her past abuse; the one thing he wanted to avoid. He couldn't deny that they were getting better at getting over it, but he never knew what kind of reaction she would have to bringing it up. He blinked when she easily twisted open the bottle cap, tossing it onto the counter.

"Yeah, I learned how to do that without hurting myself, too." She took a long swig of her soda, glancing at the red mark on the palm of her hand.

"Have you heard any more from Robert?" Dak asked slowly, grabbing the remote and shutting off the movie. It was clear that they weren't going to go back to it. Rhuben shook her head. "You're not even a little bit curious to know how he's doing?"

"According to Ronan he's calmer," Rhuben replied with a shrug. "But, that really doesn't mean anything. I mean, he's not out of rehab yet. He just knows how to interact with people there." A thoughtful look crossed her face. "Show me how he interacts with everyday people and I might give him a chance."

"So, you wouldn't go to visit him?" Dak asked and Rhuben shook her head. "Not even if I went with you?" He quickly added, "Or WayneWayne? Just to make sure you guys are ok?"

"That's sweet, but I'd rather not," Rhuben replied in a final tone. She glanced down at the bottle in her hand and asked quietly, "Do you think we could change the subject?"

"Sure," Dak quickly agreed.

The two of them fell into silence until Rhuben asked, "So where is everybody?"

"Lizzie's at the mall with Katie," Dak replied, glancing at his watch before reaching for his bottle of soda. "Actually, that reminds me I need to check with Kendall if he or I am picking them up." He paused as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Do you mind if-?"

"Go ahead," Rhuben replied with a wave of her hand, turning in her seat to face him. "I understand. Honestly, I don't think Patrick and Noah enjoy having Riles and I drive them around so much that they're not even planning to take the license test."

"I wouldn't put it past 'em," Dak said with a laugh as his thumbs flew across the touch screen of his iPhone. He then tapped send and slid the phone back into his pocket. "And my parents…well, they're still out casting. They should be home in the next few days unless something comes up."

"Sorry," Rhuben replied. "I know you hate talking about your parents."

"It's really okay," Dak replied, putting his hand up in the air. "I guess …. I think I need to talk about it. They used to be around a lot, especially my mom. She's great. Or _was_ great, really. Quiet, but funny as hell and quick too. No one really knows that about her, though."

"Dakary Zevon, you're not what I expected," she commented, slowly shaking her head back and forth. Dak arched an eyebrow. "That's a good thing. I'm actually happy I agreed to give you a chance tonight."

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Dak replied, reaching out to place his hand on her knee before he swiftly took it back. " He tucked a curled index finger under her chin and studied her for a moment before pressing a tender kiss to her mouth.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Still not sure how long this well be yet, but I've got a lot of drama coming your guys' way. Hope you liked this chapter.

Cheers,

-Rhubes


	12. I Like It When You Think Out Loud

**~I Like It When You Think Out Loud~**

* * *

><p>"So how are your kids doing?" Kacy asked as she blew on her steaming coffee mug. "I mean, they must be getting antsy, not helping out Kendall, Carlos, James, and Logan."<p>

"They deserve a break though," Kelly replied as she stirred her sugar into her tea with a small spoon. "They've been working hard for years." She then elbowed Gustavo, who was making faces after drinking his green tea, in the side. "Even Gustavo's starting to miss them."

"I am not," Gustavo grunted. He peered into the glass and frowned. "How do people drink this stuff?"

"You're the one who said they wanted to lose weight," Ronan commented, staring down into his cup of coffee. "Which you're doing a great job with by the way."

Gustavo slapped his hands down on the table and glared at Ronan, but stopped, blinking. "Did you just compliment me, McGuire?"

Ronan sat up in his chair, blinking rapidly for a few seconds. "I must be getting sick," he commented, putting a hand to his forehead. "I think I _did_."

"Or you could just be starting to appreciate each other's thoughts and advice?" Kacy asked, a hopeful look on her face. She frowned and rolled her eyes when Gutavo and Ronan, quickly and loudly shot it down. "Just wondering."

"Ronan, you look really out of it," Kelly commented, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok? I figured with your kids taking a break, you would've been more relaxed."

"I don't think I've been realized since I met the Jacksons," Ronan commented, although he had a smile on his face. "Plus, I'm still helping Gustavo come up with a new sound for Big Time RushI mean, _Elevate_ will be released soon and you already have a summer tour in the works for the album, but it doesn't hurt to get a head start on stuff like that."

"Ronan, you deserve a break as well," Kacy commented with a small shake of her head. "Since I've met you all you do is work."

"In my line of work, you don't ever really stop," Ronan replied, letting out a yawn. "Besides, I've been dealing with a lot of stuff lately. Rhuben had a movie date with Dak Zevon the other day."

"That boy's been chasing after her for years now," Kelly said with a small laugh, shaking her head. "It's pretty sweet actually, but I honestly didn't think she'd ever go out with him."

"Nah, she's liked him the whole time," Kacy replied with a shake of her head. "She just didn't know if he was that serious about his feelings for her or hers for him, so she kept turning him down."

"Oh, is _that_ why girls are so hard to read?" Gustavo asked, sarcastically. "Why can't you ever just tell I like it is? I mean, either you like us manly men or you don't." Ronan silently nodded in agreement. Kacy and Kelly exchanged glances before they burst out laughing. "Why is that funny?"

"You know, we could easily shoot that back in your faces," Kelly commented. "For example, why do guys act like such big shots when that's not who they are?"

"There's a simple answer to that," Ronan commented, leaning back in his chair. "All guys are stupid. We always have been and we always will be."

"That's true," Kelly replied with a smirk as Kacy chuckled before taking a long sip of her coffee.

"Looks like something else is bothering you," Kacy commented, setting down her mug to peer at Ronan. "Is Robert still sending you those letters."

"Yeah, and he won't stop until my kids go and visit him," Ronan commented as he grabbed the container of sugar, dumping it into his coffee cup. "I think they should. I mean, it's really the only way to get the letters to stop."

"Is it?" Gustavo asked with a grunt. "That guy never knows when to stop. He may continue to send those letters. As long as you don't open 'em, you're fine."

"I just think it'll be good for them to see him," Ronan replied slowly, choosing his words carefully and gauging his friends' reactions. "I mean, they're all doing a good job getting over their past, but I think it'll really help them if they go, although, I'm worried it'll start up their nightmares again. Or it'd trigger their PTSD."

"That bastard beat them around so much they have PTSD?" Gustavo asked, rising to his feet. "Hell, I don't care if he doesn't want to see me, I'm giving that guy a piece of my mind."

"_Sit down_," Kelly hissed, standing up to push down on his shoulders, causing him to sit again. "You're making a scene." Gustavo crossed his arms over his chest, grumbling. "Trust me though, I don't blame you."

"From what you've told me, they haven't really shown any signs of reverting back to it," Kacy replied as Ronan took a sip of his now sugar filled coffee. "I know that they're mostly worried about being like Robert; taking their anger out on others."

"Well, they're planning on announcing to their fans about their past in the upcoming year," Ronan replied, tapping his finger nails against his coffee mug. "I'm just worried about the possible backlash they're get. Plus, their friends could get it by association, which means Gustavo, you may have to do a lot of damage control."

"So what else is new?" Gustavo asked and Kelly, Kacy, and Ronan couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"But, good could from it as well," Ronan added. "Rhuben had her first date with Dak Zevon last night." The two women instantly looked interested and Gustavo rolled his eyes, busying himself with his phone. "I'm just worried that the extra attention from the press, as it'll eventually get out no matter how many connections I have, will put a toll on them."

"I don't know, Dak could be a good thing for her," Kacy commented. "Like, someone to take her mind off of her past and to let her finally feel normal, not popular, not a celebrity, just a teenage girl."

"She's already taken advantage of that, believe me," Ronan commented, an amused look on his face. "When I went to pick her up, Katie and Lizzie didn't hesitate to tell me that the two of them had caught Dak and Rhuben making out in his living room." He chuckled before taking a sip of his coffee. "I don't know whether I should be happy that she's making progress with her life or be paranoid that something's going to happen."

"Have you had the sex talk with your kids?" Kacy asked suddenly, causing Ronan to choke on his coffee. He reached for a napkin and dabbed at his mouth, coughing. "It's just a question."

"That you caught me off guard with," Ronan replied, thumping his chest with his fist. "And, yes. Robert put a lot of stuff on me. I had to give all of them the talk; except for Sydney because he's so smart. Hell, Rhuben came to me when she first got her period."

"Do we have to talk about this here?" Gustavo asked, rubbing his temples.

"You can go if you want," Ronan commented, wiping the table with a napkin, trying to get the mix of coffee and spit off the table. "I'm thinking about going back to visit Robert. If I need some muscles to back me up, I'll give you a call."

"Right-o," Gustavo replied, getting to his feet, letting out an exaggerated groan. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to sit through calling arenas around the US to set up shows for the dogs." He bid his friends farewell as he left the building.

"Are you worried that Dak and Rhuben are going to have sex?" Kelly asked, turning to Ronan, asking him point blank.

"No, she's too smart for that," Ronan commented with a shake of his head, "and self-conscious. Even if they did, she knows all about safe sex so I'm not worried about that."

"Then what are you worried about?" Kacy asked.

"I'm worried that she'll get so much good attention, that she'll get too attached too soon," Ronan replied, suddenly looking tired. "I've heard from a few people that Dak has been offered a spot in the Broadway musical Next to Normal."

"Well, that's great for him," Kelly commented. "He's a fantastic singer and a great actor. That's a great play for him to be a part of if he chooses it."

"I see your problem," Kacy said with a sigh. "While the Jacksons are always working on their music, Dak is more hit or miss with whether or not he's working. I'd hate for him to take the roll and suddenly uproot his life to move to New York."

"Exactly," Ronan agreed with a nod. "They have a hard time trusting people because they always end up leaving one way or another." He pushed his coffee cup aside and rested his chin on his arms. "Rhubes knows that I know about her and Dak making out, but she doesn't want to talk to me about it. I just never really realized how shy she actually could be. They've just come so far, I'm worried the smallest thing will knock 'em back. On one hand I truly think it'll help my kids if they go visit Robert, and on the other hand, god knows it'll turn around and bite me in the ass."

"I think I know what you're really worried about, Ronan," Kacy commented, a serious look crossing her face. Ronan and Kelly peered at her. "From what you told me, Robert wants to meet with your kids alone, I think you're worried that he'll brainwash them."

"You mean, like, turn them against him?" Kelly asked and Kacy nodded.

"He had them longer than Ronan did," Kacy explained with a sigh, looking worried. "For years he's trained them to know that the instant they do something wrong, they could get hit. I'm worried that even a five minute conversation could get them back under his thumb."

"They all love Ronan, and they always have," Kelly said with a shake of her head, patting Ronan on the back. "And they really respect him. I don't think they'd just sit by and let Robert do that to them." He then turned towards Ronan and gave him a hard look. "You're their parent now. You can put your foot down and tell Robert that you're not going to leave them alone in his company."

"Something tells me this is going to get a lot harder before it gets easier," Ronan said with a sigh, closing his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>This was more dialogue driven than anything, but you'll get more description and stuff next week. You'll be seeing more of Riley and Wayne in the next chapter as well as Patrick, Noah, Sydney, Katie, and Lizzie. You'll see Robert again in the chapter after that. Hope you guys liked this chapter.<strong>

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	13. Here We Go

**~Here We Go~**

* * *

><p>"How many more of these do you need?" WayneWayne asked as he watched Riley sprinkle glitter onto the wet paint on her canvas. He had a pile of soda can tabs sitting in front of him. "I didn't realize how much soda you guys drank."<p>

He was in the Jackson-McGuire's apartment, helping Riley with her art project, as well as avoiding going home for a while. His sisters used any and every opportunity they had to tease him about something going on in his life and while there were days where he could take it, it would more times than not drive him crazy. Plus, the Ziggle Zaggles were on a small break from filming, and he chose to hang out with his friends to spend as much of his free time there as possible.

"Yeah, you'd never know it with how in shape we are," Riley commented, carrying her canvas over to the trashcan. Stepping on the pedal at the bottom, the top swung open and she shook off the excess glitter. As she made her way back to the table, she glanced over at the pile of tabs. "That's enough."

"Good," WayneWayne said with a smile as he leaned back in his chair. "I think my fingers were about to bleed." He shook his stinging fingers in the air. "What do you need 'em for anyway?"

"Well, you know how I like to make jewelry and stuff when I'm bored," Riley commented as she moved to sit in the chair next to him, grabbing the basket filled with paint jars and spray cans over to her. WayneWayne nodded as she dug around in the basket. She then pulled out a red ribbon with soda can tabs threaded along it. "I'm making bracelets out of 'em. I saw it online and thought it was cool. Plus, it's easier than making a purse."

"Wow," WayneWayne commented as he looked t over. "Hey, you've never told me how you got into making jewelry. You don't seem like the jewelry type."

Riley sighed, blowing her bangs off of her forehead, an odd look coming to her face. WayneWayne instantly recognized it as the look all the Jacksons adopted when they thought back to a time when Robert was still around. He instantly felt bad for bringing it up because there were times where they would just stare off into space, thinking back to that time, and all you could do is sit there and wait for them to snap out of it.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked," WaynWayne commented, scratching the back of his neck.

"Don't worry about it," Riley commented with a brief shake of her head. "There were times where Robert got mad and he would actually try and stop himself from hitting us." WayneWayne glanced at her and saw a distant look in her eyes. "It was rare, but sometimes you could see that he didn't want to do it, but there was something that made him do it. Our main thing was to protect Sydney, no matter what. We would put him in a closet or hide him under the bed, or just stand in front of him and take the hits ourselves." Riley started to thread the soda tabs onto the ribbon. "Sometimes, we would just hide for a while and wait it out and sometimes he would lock us in closets and stuff. While we waited, I taught myself how to make things out of nothing."

She gave a shrug and turned to look at WayneWayne the light returning to her eyes. "I hate doing that to you by the way. Or anyone." She gave somewhat of a bitter laugh. "I hate it when people feel sorry for me but I bring it on myself. I just want to start my life over, but I know I can't. I see the way it affects Ronan as well and I hate seeing him look like that." She looked over at WayneWayne and saw him staring back at her. "What?"

"You should go visit Robert," he stated bluntly and Riley raised an eyebrow. "You always said you wanted answers as to why this is happening to you, and the only way for you to get answers is to visit him." Riley busied herself with the bracelet, dropping her gaze from him. "You said he wouldn't tell Ronan anything and I know you're getting tired of getting mail from him."

"I don't want to see him," Riley muttered. "I don't want to remember."

"He hasn't seen you in almost a whole year, Riles," WayneWayne reminded her. " There could be a lot of things different about him. You never know." He tilted his head to the side. "You always tell people to face their fears and break out of their comfort zone; so why won't you do it?"

Riley rolled her eyes. "Yeah? It's not _my _fault he hasn't seen me since he was carted off to jail."

"I know," WayneWayne simply replied. "But, he seems to be making an effort. The least you could do is meet him half way." Riley shot him a suspicious look with her blue eyes. "I'm just saying meet him once; figure out why he did what he did and then you can move on."

Riley set her jaw for a moment before sighing. "He doesn't want Ronan there when we meet him," she finally said after a moment of silence. "I'm scared. I didn't tell anyone but, last night, not even Ronan. I had a nightmare...I couldn't breathe, it seemed like forever but I didn't pass out or anything, it was just like...I couldn't breathe for a really long time and I just laid there...gasping and...crying, I was all alone and it was so scary...It felt real, like I was back in my own life."

WayneWayne blinked in surprise. Riley was never one to share her feelings and she was never one to admit it when she was scared or embarrassed. But on the other hand, he could figure it out pretty easily. She would either avoid the subject, lash out at people for making a comment about it, or just not talk at all.

"Knowing Ronan, he's not going to let anything happen to you guys," WayneWayne commented with a small smile. He then decided to change the subject; something that he found over the time he knew her helped her return to her normal, joking self. "So, what are you painting for your project anyway?"

"An oasis," Riley explained with a sigh, moving to look over at the canvas. "But, not like a lagoon or anything." She leaned back in her chair, as she looked at the swirls of colors. "It's the place I go to in my mind when Robert went on his rampage. It doesn't look like much now, but it will be. I just hope to get there sometime in my life."

"I hate it when you do that," WayneWayne commented and Riley gave him a confused look."I hate how you can take everything and turn it into something about your past abuse."

"Well excuse me for—"

"Having a sucky life?" WayneWayne asked, his eyebrows raising. "Yeah, I think I've got it by now." Riley's eyes slowly narrowed. "What with you bringing it up with every conversation we have."

"What's your problem, Dooley?" Riley asked, now glaring at him.

"You," WayneWayne replied in the same tone. "Honestly, I'm getting sick and tired of talking about how sucky your life is. It's always about you, you, you."

"_What_?" Riley asked her eyes ablaze with fury. "In case you haven't noticed, _Wally Dooley_—" WayneWayne winced at his name, "I've been busting my ass since I was a little kid working on music for people _like you_ to enjoy. _I _helped _you_ get off of Kendall's bad side. _I _helped _you_ learn how to love to be on the Ziggle Zaggles, all while trying to get over something that I've had to deal with my whole entire life. And _excuse me_ for thinking that I had a friend who would understand my need to talk about It from time to time."

"More like all the time," WayneWayne shot back, pushing back his chair. "And don't think I'm not grateful for what you did, but considering Kendall still doesn't really like me, it's not like it helped all that much."

"What's gotten you so aggro?" Riley demanded, her accent filling her voice, pushing back her chair so hard it toppled over, hitting the floor with a loud crash. She winced, covering her ears with her hands at the sudden loud noise. Breathing heavily, she slowly lowered her hands. "I'm sorry I even tried to help you! No one ever sticks around so why'd I think you would? You know what; I can't talk to you right now. I can't even look at you right now. I need to sit down and be away from you." She pointed towards the door. "Get out!"

WayneWayne just crossed his arms over his chest, standing where he was. Riley let out a growl of anger and stormed over to him, starting to push him towards the front door. "Get out! I don't want to look at you right now."

"Why?" WayneWayne asked calmly.

"I thought you were my friend," Riley snapped back at him, continuing to try and push him out the door. "I thought you understood! But, you're just like everyone else, getting close to use my fame and then you leave. _Get out_. Nick off and pull your head in." She stopped pushing him and backed away from him, eyes wild, pressing on the sides of her head with her hands. "This isn't happening. Not again. I hate this. I can't keep doing this."

"Can't do what?" WayneWayne asked, watching Riley pace. "Run away from your problems?" Riley stopped pacing and stared at him, shaking. "Ronan's done everything he could to try and get you over this. He's found a way to stop the press from finding out, he's offered you his home, and his love and he's tried everything he can to help you get over it. But, it's time to help yourself. You always put people before you, but it's time to put yourself before others. You deserve it." Riley looked thoughtful, but didn't catch his gaze.

WayneWayne loudly clapped his hands together before grabbing his shoes. "Well," he said in a chipper tone, "now that we have that settled, why don't we go get some ice cream? My treat."

Riley blinked, a series of emotions passing over her face before she sighed. "I hate it when you do that," she commented, running her hand over her face.

"It helped you out didn't it?" WayneWayne asked as he balanced against the wall, putting on his shoes. "No one can say that just because I'm on a kid's show that I can't act." He then gave Riley a smile. "Sorry, but I knew it'd help even at the risk of my own health."

"You're such a boofhead," Riley commented with a shake of her head.

"But, it helped," WayneWayne replied, checking his pockets to make sure he had his cell phone and wallet before giving her a smile.

Riley relaxed into a grin and gave him a hug. "I hate you," she muttered into his shirt.

"I know," WayneWayne replied, returning her hug. "But, you can hate me all you want over ice cream." Riley chuckled, lightly hitting him in the stomach before he retrieved her shows from the pile by the door.

* * *

><p>Katie frowned as she watched Patrick slowly make his way out of the ocean waves, carrying his surfboard under his arm. He was off, she could tell as well did he as she spotted the look on his face. She dug her toes in the cool sand, waiting for him. He shoved the tip of his surfboard into the sand with a hard shove before dropping onto his towel next to her.<p>

"You ok?" she asked.

"Having an off day," Patrick replied shaking the water from his hair. "But, I'll be fine."

"Did you get more letters today?" Katie asked. Patrick didn't say anything, he just laid back on his towel, closing his eyes. Seconds later, Sydney jumped on top of him, dripping wet from the water, causing Patrick to let out a loud 'Oof' of pain. Noah and Lizzie followed behind the small boy, looking tired as they dropped their surfboards to the ground.

"Get off him, Little Man," Noah commented, looping his arm around the eleven year old's stomach, easily lifting him off of his twin brother, before dropping him onto the sand. "How's Big Time Rush doing?"

"As usual, making Gustavo want to rip his hair out," Katie replied, pushing her sunglasses up onto the top of her head. "But, according to Hi Hat, they're doing a great job prepping for tour."

"They'd be worse off if you guys hadn't been helping them out," Lizzie commented, adjusting her bakini top, "that's for sure."

"Yeah," Patrick agreed, running his fingers through his hair, moving it out of his face. It was probably the only time you'd catch Patrick without his hair spike and shaped in a specific format. "They'd be nowhere without us. Well, James might be, but that's not really saying anything."

"You haven't answered my question," Katie pointed out, although she couldn't help but laugh at what her friend's were saying about her brother and his friends. "You guys have been off since you told me about Robert sending the letters wanting to meet with you. Have you got any more?"

"All the time," Patrick said with a snort. "Gotta hand it to the guy, persistence is not foreign to him."

"Has Ronan gone back to see him?" Lizzie asked, twisting her blonde locks into a single braid. "To tell him off for continuing to mail you when you don't want it? He could put a restraining order against him."

"Yeah, but TMZ has been noticing things lately, I can't imagine what'll happen when _that_ gets out," Patrick replied and Noah silently agreed with a nod. "Ronan's been doing a great job at keeping everything silent, but I don't even want to think about that."

"It probably won't be too bad considering all the news seems to care about is Dak and Rhuben's growing relationship," Lizzie said with a grin, nudging Katie. "They may be denying it to the papers, but with a lip-lock like we've seen, there's no denying that they're together. Better than my parents catching 'em. They would've flipped their lid."

"With tongue?" Patrick asked, arching an eyebrow.

"It looked like they were eating each other's faces," Katie commented dryly although she looked amused.

"Ewww," Sydney groaned and Noah laughed, using his hand to mess up his stringy hair. "Well, I mean, I understand you guys like to make out like that, but ewww."

"You'll get there at some point, Little Man," Patrick said as he reached out his foot, digging it into his baby brother's side. Sydney grabbed Patrick's foot and yanked apart his toes, causing him to scream in pain.

"Knock it off," Noah muttered, shooting his brothers an annoyed look and they immediately stopped what they were doing. "I've gotta admit though, I've been curious to know what he wants."

"Yeah, same here," Patrick agreed, slowly nodding. "We only opened one letter, but Ronan wouldn't let us read it."

"Well, that makes sense," Katie commented, brushing the sand off her legs. She briefly noticed that she had gotten a tan since she had first moved out to California and didn't stick out as much as she did before in comparison to her friends with how pale they were. "Ronan's always hated the guy, right?"

"No," Sydney said with a head shake. "He respected Robert. Despite what he did to us, he was a great business man." He gave a shrug. "Even Ronan can't deny that."

"I don't think you should visit him," Katie commented, pulling her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. "I haven't seen my dad for years and I'm fine now."

"Yeah, but he didn't hit you every chance he got," Patrick pointed out. "Well, he pushed Kendall around, but that was only for a few years, not for all his life. Not like us."

"It wouldn't help you if you did go," Katie replied, shooting him an annoyed look. "Seeing him, wouldn't it just…mess you up? I mean, I've done some research on this. It could trigger PTSD or something." She shook her head, her pig tails gently slapping her in the face. "You guys have come too far to just drop back and make this progress all over again."

"Thanks Katie-Kat, but it's a little harder than that," Sydney replied using his nickname for her. "You know how when your parents tell you not to do something but you want to do it anyway?" Katie silently nodded. "Why is that?"

"Because it makes you curious to know _why _you shouldn't do it," Katie explained, her face scrunching up slightly as she did so. "It's all you think about until you actually do it. It's—"

"Irresistible?" Sydney finished for her, raising his eyebrows and Katie silently nodded. "That's what I thought. The definition for irresistible is something that's too powerful or convincing to be resisted. Every letter we ignore, we keep getting more, tempting us to open them and to see what Robert wants."

"I don't see it that way," Noah spoke up in his quiet voice. "Every letter we get, I feel like he's getting more and more mad. Kinda like in _Harry Potter_ when Uncle Vernon kept destroying Harry's letters. Hogwarts was persistent to let him know that he was a wizard so they kept sending more and more letters until finally Hagrid visited him." He swallowed thickly. "I don't want Robert to visit us." Sydney's eyes popped open and Patrick frowned. Neither of them had even thought about it that way.

"I don't want him to come visit," Sydney mumbled, curling up into a ball on the ground. Noah bent over, whispering into Sydney's ear as he rubbed his brother's shoulder before patting him on the back.

"So, what's been up with you guys?" Patrick asked. "Sorry we haven't hung out until now. We had a lot of last minute things to do for Gustavo." He gave his first lopsided grin that day. "And I've been putting off my homework, but Ronan's really gettin' on my case 'bout it."

"You would," Lizzie replied and Patrick merely shrugged and gave her a wink, which made her laugh. "So, Dak is supposed to break the news in about a month, but I'm allowed to tell you guys; he got offered a role in the Boardway play _Next to Normal_."

Noah let out a low whistle, but didn't say anything. Patrick's eyebrows twitched in surprise before he broke out into a grin. "That's bonzer," he commented in his thick accent. "We'll be sure to make it out to a show."

"According to Lizzie this is a role he's always wanted to play," Katie commented and Lizzie nodded. "But, what are you going to do when he leaves?"

"Well, I go to whatever city my parents go to for castings," Lizzie said as she counted off on her fingers, making a face as she did so, "I can go to New York with Dak, or my mom hires a nanny to look out for me while I'm here."

"Or you could stay with my mom and me," Katie offered. "With those idiots gone the whole time, we don't have to fight over the TV or anything."

Lizzie shrugged. "I'll suggest it, but I don't think my parents would go for it," she commented with a sigh, starting to play with her ponytail. She then glanced over at her friends. "You haven't met my parents, so you don't know what they're like."

"Their noses are so high in the air they'd down if it rained?" Patrick asked in a monotone.

"Basically," Lizzie replied with another sigh. "But, that's mainly just around castings. When they've got a break in work they're normal parents. It's weird."

"Most parents are," Patrick replied with a roll of his eyes. "Alright, I'm getting a few more waves before I pack it in." He grabbed Sydney, throwing his brother over his shoulder before going to grab his surf board. "You guys in?"

"Wait up," Lizzie said as she got up. She adjusted her bikini top once more before grabbing her white and pink surfboard, following Patrick, and a hysterical laughing Sydney into the water.

"Come on," Noah said, offering his hand to Katie to pull her to her feet. "I don't want you sitting here by yourself."

"I don't mind watching," Katie replied, allowing him to help her up anyway. She crossed her arms over her chest before raising one hand to shield her face from the sunlight before sliding her sunglasses down.

"I do," Noah replied, moving to grab his surfboard. "Come on. You can pull a Sydney and just sit on my board." Katie eyed the small surfboard warily.

"It looks too small," Katie commented, trying to stall.

"It's not," Noah replied shortly, making his way across the sand. "Come on, I know you want to learn. Surfing is the sport no one can resist."

* * *

><p><strong>And the drama really starts to pick up. I hope you guys liked this chapter.<strong>

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	14. Who's Influence Are You Under Now?

**~Who's Influence Are You Under Now?~**

* * *

><p>"Talk to me," Robert offered, looking back and forth at his former kids. "How's everything? Ronan told me you're taking a break?"<p>

"Um, yeah," Riley replied, shifting in her seat. She had her head bowed and was pulling at a loose thread on her cut off shorts. "We thought it'd be a good idea." She fleetingly looked at him and added with a hint of bitterness, "Y'know, cause we've been working nonstop since we were kids."

Robert's eyebrows twitched but he didn't say anything for a while. "So, how's it going then?" He raked his fingers through his longer hair.

"It's okay I guess," Rhuben replied with a shrug. "We're just hanging out and stuff."

"And dating?" Robert asked, looking pointedly at her.

"Not that it's any of your business," she muttered in reply.

"Um, how are things here?" Patrick asked, popping his knuckles.

"I just got out of a single therapy session," Robert replied as Patrick inspected his short fingernails. "We had group earlier."

All the way up to the rehabilitation place, he had chewed his fingernails in anticipation of what was going to happen, or what _could _happen. This action reminding him however that the had broken that habit years ago, and would probably tempt him to start up again. "That's good, I guess."

There was another moment of silence until it was shattered by Sydney's stomach growling. Robert glanced over at him and Sydney tried to make himself smaller in his seat. "You guys, uh, want me to order something to eat?" He saw the quick look of panic cross the kids' faces, and added, "We'll eat in the common room." He moved to get the phone and a menu from the drawer. "Is Chinese alright with you? Or do you want pizza? Oh, hell, I've had Chinese a lot recently, we'll get pizza. You guys decide on the toppings you want."

As he used his thumb to punch in the pizza place, the Jacksons exchanged glances before they started to discuss what pizza topping they wanted. This quickly escalated into an argument over how always got their favorite kind of pizza and how it wasn't really fair that Noah, who only really at Cheese, always got his favorite.

"Would you _be quiet_!" Robert snarled, lifting his head from the menu in his hand. Sydney flinched violently at the sudden shout, pulling his legs up to his chest. "I'm on the _phone_. _God_!"

"Sorry," Patrick mumbled, moving to sit next to Sydney, rubbing his little brother's back. Noah silently bowed his head. "You asked…I mean, sorry. Just sorry."

A pained expression crossed Robert's face as he momentarily held his breath. He then let out a heavy sigh, his face relaxing. "Sorry," he muttered, looking uncomfortable. "I'm working on it. You…you never really get rid of anger. It's just how you cope with it."

"Which, clearly, you still need work on," Riley shot back and Robert flinched. She noticed that his hands began to shake. He set the phone and the menu down, balling his hands into fists, shoving them into his tan pockets. Her eyebrows twitched as she watched the movement. "Maybe we should go."

That was a warning sign, she could tell. With the clench of his jaw and the tapping of his foot, it was all he could do to not blow up at them. She had seen the mannerisms so many time, it was her natural instinct to want to leave and as fast as possible. She knew by the pained look on his face that, if he was going to do or say anything, he wasn't going to be harmless. He was going to be anything but.

"Come on," Riley reiterated, grabbing Patrick's arm. "_Now_." Robert continued to sit on his bed, not even bothering to stop him. Riley lead her brothers and sister towards the door.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Robert said to them as they reached the door. "I _have _changed. I just want you to see that." He lifted his head and looked at them, an odd look in his eyes. "Maybe if you come back, I can show you." He then tilted his head towards the door. "Ronan's waiting for you. You don't want to keep your _dad _waiting."

Riley twisted the door knob and Robert suddenly started to laugh. "I'm not surprised you're leaving," he commented. "Why wouldn't you? I've been nothing but trash to you for your entire lives." He started looking around the room. "Why does everyone say that children are the greatest gift in the world when they are the worst thing that can possibly happen to a person?" Her eyes began widening. "I mean, look where I am now, because I had kids? You're so completely incapable of doing anything right. You make me regret having ever wanted children. You make me ashamed. Ashamed of what I've become and what I've done." A wild look came into his eyes. "I'm sorry. I truly am. I can show you if you come back."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Noah whispered as they moved out into the hallway. Riley closed the door behind them and seconds later, they all jumped when they heard a loud crash followed by muffled laughter. "He's gone insane."

"Not much of a change if you ask me," Patrick commented, digging the tip of his shoe into the carpet, staring at the ground.

"I wanna go home," Sydney muttered, pressing himself into Patrick's side.

"This was a stupid waste of time," Rhuben added with a shake of her head, crossing her arms over her chest as they made their way away from the room. "I don't know why we even decided to come here."

"Because just like the rest of us, you truly wanted to know if Robert had changed," Riley replied with a sigh. "We couldn't even get him to answer our questions."

"He didn't apologize either," Sydney added, sticking out his bottom lip. "I'm tired of this. I just…I want to be a normal kid. I'm tired of being scared to go to sleep because of nightmares. I'm tired of being scared of people I don't know. I'm just tired."

"We all are, Syd," Patrick replied putting a hand on his brother's head.

"But…I don't think we should give up on him," Noah slowly commented, staring at the ground. He blinked and looked up at his siblings as they stopped walking and stared at him. Noah was known for the type to really only talk whenever he had something to say, so they were all giving him their undivided attention. "I know. I'm normally not one to give people like him second chances." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "It's just...I feel like he's really trying, y'know?" He shrugged. "It's just a thought."

They silently made their way down the stairs and into the lobby, gaining Ronan's attention. He set aside his magazine and gave his kids an expectant look, silently asking what happened. Sydney wordlessly gave Ronan a hug and the older man lead the way towards the exit.

"Oh, are you leaving already?" one of the nurses who sat at the reception desk asked as they passed. She gave the Jacksons a warm smile. "It was great to finally see you guys here, your father has been expecting you all day. I've never seen him so excited."

"With all do respect ma'am, _I'm _their father," Ronan replied curtly and the nurse blinked.

"My apologies," she replied, flushing. "But, he _was _excited. He couldn't wait to finish classes so he could see you arrive. I sure hope you come back and visit again."

"He was _happy_ to see us?" Patrick asked, a confused look on his face.

"Oh, yes," the nurse explained with a nod, her dark brown curls bobbing and swaying. "He talks about you all the time and how _wonderful_ you are. He really cares about you. I'm just sorry he has to be in here, but everyone has drinking problems every now and then, right?"

"Um, right," Ronan slowly replied, placing his hands on Sydney's shoulders, gently pushing him towards the door. "Good night."

* * *

><p>"So, how'd it go?" WayneWayne asked eagerly as he and Riely sat at a table with Dak and Rhuben, all four of them sharing an ice cream sundae.<p>

His eyes scanned the area as he moved his spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. Setting her spoon down, Riley spent a moment arranging wiping her mouth free of chocolate sauce, chewing on the hunk of brownie that sat on her tongue, but didn't say anything. Rhuben stared off into spaced, obviously not having heard him.

WayneWayne exchanged glances with Dak before attempting again. "Riles? How was seeing Robert?"

Riley blinked, looking over at him, swallowing "Sorry," she replied, brushing one of her pigtails off her shoulder, "Um... it was... okay I guess."

Rhuben just nodded before digging her spoon into the ice cream and moving a large amount of ice cream into her mouth. "It was good. It's just weird knowing that we saw him earlier. Just gettin' used to it I guess."

"That's good," Dak replied, trying to be supportive.

But, he felt uncomfortable. His two friends weren't acting like they usually were. He didn't know just by seeing someone could change their demeanor that much and he didn't like it. He could barely sit through their story of what happened while they were at the rehabilitation center, but there wasn't a lot he could do about it. He knew in the long run that it was going to be something that truly helped his friends start to move on from.

"Are you going to see him again?" Dak asked quietly, looking pointedly at Rhuben. She shifted in her seat, before looking back at him.

"I'm not sure exactly," she replied before nodding at Riley who blinked in reply. "But we'll let ya know. Ronan asked us the same thing. You know he wouldn't push us into anything, but he was proud that we went."

"So, um, how is he?" WayneWayne asked as he set his spoon down onto his napkin. "Is he as different as he says he is?"

"He's trying," Riley replied with a sigh, pushing the ice cream bowl away from her. "You can't fault him for that. He's gettin' by, I guess. Doesn't talk much, but that's not any different. His hair is longer. He looks calmer."

"He seems to be making progress," Rhuben added. "Like we told you, he seemed to have wanted to blow up at us, but he didn't." She gave the Jackson family famous one shouldered shrug. "It's better than nothing I guess." She seemed to be very uninterested in her food and more so involved with separating the pieces of cookie and brownie that sat in the ice cream bowl.

"Hey, why don't we go and do something to take your minds off this?" WayneWayne suggested, clapping his hands together. "We could go to the boardwalk and check out some of the rides or something."

"Or we could go back to my place and watch some movies," Dak added.

"Or in your guys' case, make out while _we _watch the movies, " WayneWayne replied, motioning between himself and Riley. He frowned when Rhuben didn't even crack a smile. "That was a joke." He exchanged glances with Dak and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Did something happen while you were visiting Robert?"

"He didn't…hit you or anything while you were there?" Dak asked.

"No," Riley replied, shaking her head. "We're just trying to figure out if we really want to go back, that's all." She gave a fleeting smile. "Sorry, we're really bringing you guys down. Why don't we just call it a night?"

"You sure?" WaynWayne asked, standing up as soon as she did. Riley silently nodded, pulling out her wallet. He reached out a hand and placed it over top of hers, before quickly pulling his hand back. "I got it; don't worry about it." He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and set a few dollar bills down onto the table. "Hey, um, do you wanna watch the, uh, Sox game with me tomorrow night?"

"Okay," Riley replied, seeming distracted as she patted her pockets for her car keys. "Yeah, sounds good. It'll take my mind off this for a while anyway." She pulled her keys out of her pocket, spun the ring around her finger and then finally looked up at WayneWayne with a smile. "I'll call you later, ok? Rhubes, you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Rhuben replied with a nod, getting to her feet. "Yeah, I'm coming." She leaned over at gave Dak a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug. "See you guys later."

The twin girls waved goodbye to the boys before making their way out of the small restaurant and across the parking lot. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes until Riley broke the silence. "He has a stronger influence on us than I thought," she muttered.

She ran her fingers through her hair and gave a heavy sigh. "I haven't stopped thinking about how psycho he could've gotten if we stayed. Not only that, and I hadn't said anything before because I don't want to worry Ronan, but I swear I've been seeing Robert everywhere recently."

"I was thinking the same thing," Rhuben replied, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets. "Dude, read my brainwaves." She chewed on her thumbnail. "You think we should go back? Noah did have a point."

"When does he not?" Riley asked in a monotone, opening the driver's side door. The two girls climbed into the car and buckled up. Riley glanced into the rearview mirror before shifting the car into reverse and making her way out of the parking lot, moving the car into first gear. "We want our questions asked, and he did stop himself from physically hurting us."

"Yeah," Rhuben agreed with a nod. "But that nurse made me feel—not guilty—but really weird. Like, as if Robert had some kind of influence on her."

"Me too," Riley replied. "But then again, he can influence just about anybody to get what he wants."

* * *

><p><strong>So, I was really just focusing on how awkward it was between Robert and the Jacksons, but you'll be seeing more of him. Hope you guys liked this chapter.<strong>

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	15. Meet Me Halfway Part I

**~Meet Me Halfway~**

**Part I**

* * *

><p>"You want me to do what?" Rhuben asked, deadpan, turning towards Dak, who had thought of right now as the most opportune moment to tell her his news.<p>

"I want you to have dinner here tonight," Dak repeated, tapping the table with his fingernails, making a loud clicking sound, "with my parents." He blinked when Rhuben lifted a hand and placed it on his forehead. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you're not sick, because I'm pretty sure you're delirious if you think that's a bonzer idea," Rhuben slowly replied, her accent quickly surrounding her words.

Dak braced himself for the rant that was sure to come. For anyone that knew the Jacksons, they normally preferred to talk with American accents to avoid confusions with anybody that spoke to them. But whenever they got really excited or worried about something, or in this case mad, they would immediately flip into their native tongue.

"Dak," Riley spoke up, using her feet to push her skateboard back and forth under the table the four of them were sitting at, the wheels making a creaking sound. They were in the Zevon house, spending the afternoon in the well air conditioned place. It was unusually very hot outside and they didn't want to subject themselves to the heat by going to the beach or to The Grove. Plus, it was one of Ronan's few days off and the Jacksons wanted him to have a quiet day to himself. "Your parents don't like us. Hell, in all the years they've known me, they've always called me _Raleigh_."

"Yeah, and they just don't remember _my _name," Rhuben added, crossing her arms over her chest, "and it's not any harder to remember than _Wally_."

"Hey," WayneWayne frowned, suddenly being dragged into the conversation.

"Sorry," Rhuben replied with a shrug. "Dak, you _know_ how your parents are with my family."

"I know." Dak nodded, "But, I don't care what they think." He then turned towards Riley, "I figured I could ease them in gently with you guys, if this goes well."

"Which it won't," Riley said as a matter of fact. "I mean, I'm pretty sure they think we deserved to have gone through all the crap in our lives." Dak opened his mouth, surely to apologize again, but Riley merely put up a hand to silence him. "Stop apologizing, they would've found out anyway. Besides, we all agreed that our friends' families should know."

She then paused, glancing at her hand oddly before setting it down on the table. Dak chewed on his bottom lip as he exchanged glances with WayneWayne. Both of them had known Robert for a while before he was sent to the rehab center and had witnessed the older man silencing people with a single hand raise, much like Riley had just done. They could never even begin to think how much the abusive man had influenced their friends.

"Dak, we're not even official," Rhuben said a weird look on her face, "I don't think this is a good idea."

"I think it is, actually," WayneWayne spoke up, gaining everyone's attention.

Ever since his little fiasco with Big Time Rush and trying to kick Kendall out, WayneWayne had shown his true colors of being more shy than outspoken and when he wasn't joking around with his friends, everything that came out of his mouth was well thought out and important. Although, from time to time to try and cheer his friends up when something was bothering them, he would start to refer to himself in the third person.

"As we've all known for years, Dak's parents are more judgmental than they should be, but I honestly think it's just because they don't know how to leave their work behind. What better way to show them that they really don't know anything about you then to spend time with them?"

"More like you're trying to shove me in their faces," Rhuben commented, her eyebrows twitching.

"Rhubes, I care about you too much to do that," Dak said with a shake of his head, suddenly looking serious. "You know that."

"Yeah," Rhuben replied with a nod, giving a fleeting smile. "Yeah, I know." She ran her fingers through her hair before nodding again. "I'd be happy to have dinner here tonight."

"Great," Dak replied, grinning from ear to ear. He then leaned over and gave Rhuben a kiss on the cheek. "I know we're not official or anything, but this means a lot." He then got out of his seat and made his way to the refrigerator. "You guys want to watch a movie or something? We've got plenty of popcorn."

"Sure," WayneWayne replied with a shrug. "You got any soda?"

"Yeah," Dak replied, pulling the refrigerator door open. "Take whatever you like." He pulled a handled beer glass out of the refrigerator and set it down on the island, before grabbing a bottle of Heineken, quickly, twisting off the cap, releasing some of the small pressure in the bottle with a _hissss._

"Uh, dude?" WayneWayne asked, getting his friend's attention.

"I'm not drinking it," Dak said with a shake of his head, "It's for my dad; he's weird with his beer; he likes it half frozen and half melted when he drinks at dinner." He saw the looks on the twin girls' faces and cringed. After having to deal with years of alcohol infused abuse, it bothered the two of them and their brothers just to see a bottle of beer sitting out. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Riley said with a sigh, looking distracted as she glanced out the kitchen window. "It's something we just have to start getting used to, yeah?"

"Yeah," Rhuben agreed.

"Why don't you guys go and pick a movie while we make the popcorn and get the sodas," WayneWayne suggested, giving Dak a weird look. The twin girls shrugged before making their way out of the kitchen. "You've been acting so weird today. What's up?"

"There's no point in denying it," Dak commented, pouring the amber fluid into the handled beer glass before putting the glass in the freezer. He shut the freezer door before he leaned against the appliance, letting out a heavy sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not asking Rhuben over just for dinner."

WayneWayne's eyes widened slightly, "You don't mean that…you're…y'know."

"No, nothing like that," Dak said with a shake of his head. "Besides, everyone would be home and that'd just be really weird."

"Ok, then are you planning on telling her about N2N?" WayneWayne asked and Dak nodded. "Dude, you know she'd hate knowing that she's the reason why you're not doing it."

"I've been having second thoughts about it," Dak replied, running his fingers through his hair. "I have to make a final decision soon because I have to sign up for acting classes while I'm there and its limited availability. I've asked for an extension for my decision, but I have to pay $50 for application fees and another $300 for courses. But, it's $50right now just to keep my spot right."

WayneWayne made a face, knowing that his friend was in a tight spot. "And you know how excited and proud of my parents are to know that I have a shot at this. And they worked hard to get me an audition to begin with. Knowing Rhubes, I know she'll be happy that I have this opportunity and she'd want me to go, but I hate the idea of finally being with her only having to leave for work while her work with BTR keeps her here—"

"Because you feel like you're leading her on," WayneWayne finished for him, nodding in understanding, "especially with how…delicate, I guess, she is after everything with Robert." Dak nodded, putting a finger to his nose. "Tough call, dude, but its best you talk to her about this."

"Yeah, I know," Dak replied, giving a series of nods, "I just don't know how I'm going to make it through tonight." He pressed his lips together and leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Riles and I are watching the Sox game tonight," WayneWayne said, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. Dak gave him a knowing smile, but he ignored it. "Text me after dinner and we could all go and hang out at The Grove; Lizzie, Katie, and the boys too."

"Not a bad idea," Dak said, lifting his hand to bump fists with his best friend. WayneWayne bumped Dak's fist before clapping him on the shoulder. "You get the sodas and I'll get the popcorn; I am the host after all."

WayneWayne rolled his eyes as Dak moved away from the refrigerator to get the popcorn from the pantry. As Dak pulled the plastic off of the popcorn packet, Dak grabbed four bottles of soda from the refrigerator and, balancing them in his arms, carried them into the living room. Dak pulled open the microwave door and placed the popcorn packet on the rotating plate on the bottom. He then proceeded to close the door, set the time for it to be cooked, and then hit START.

He then turned around and glanced at the beer bottle that sat near the sink. He noticed there was still some in the bottom of the glass and moved across the room to grasp the bottle. He wrinkled his nose as the smell hit his nose. He tilted it, getting ready to pour it down into the sink as he said, "I don't know how people can drink this stuff. It smells horrible." He paused as he stared at the label and then lowered his voice to mimic his father and said, "_Just to smooth out the rough edges and to calm the nerves_."

Dak snorted, shaking his head, but he still didn't put the bottle down. Slowly, he lifted it to his lips and tilted his head back, pouring the alcoholic beverage into his mouth. It burned the back of his throat as he swallowed, making his eyes water. He coughed, setting the bottle back down onto the counter, shaking his head.

_Ugh, how do people drink that stuff_, he thought as the microwave beeped. Dak smacked his lips and swallowed repeatedly as he moved to get a bowl for the popcorn.

* * *

><p>"You look great," Lizzie all but squealed clasping her hands together as she watched Rhuben twist and turn in front of her full length mirror wearing spaghetti strap purple and white checkered dress over her jeans. "I can't believe Dak forgot to tell you about the 'dress code' we have." She used finger quotes around the phrase "dress code" and rolled her eyes. "Mom insists you look nice to dinner, but it's not like we're eating with the President or anything."<p>

"Exactly what I was thinking," Rhuben commented, deadpan. "But, it _is_ your parents."

"Tell me about it," Lizzie said with a sigh, before perking up. "It's a good thing mom got this for me. At first I thought it was stupid that she got me a dress two sizes too big, but it fits you perfectly." She caught Rhuben's eye in the mirror and gave a sweet smile. "Not that I'm calling you fat or anything. Anyway, Dak won't know what hit him when he sees you."

"What are we having for dinner anyway?" Rhuben asked with a sigh, turning away from the mirror to sit down on the younger girl's bed.

Lizzie shrugged, "I don't know, whatever the cook wanted to make tonight, I guess." She then sniffed the air. "Although, I'm hoping its steak or beef tips or something; that's what the cooks are best at." Rhuben briefly nodded and Lizzie frowned. "Something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine," Rhuben replied, with a smile, running her fingers through her hair.

"Nervous?" Lizzie asked, a sympathetic smile coming to her face. "Don't worry; mom and dad are usually fine if casting or whatever event they went to was fine and from what I've seen when they got home, they were pretty happy, so." Rhuben nodded distractedly, looking at herself in the mirror. "You look fine."

"It's…I know," Rhuben replied, twisting her fingers in her lap. "I just…you think we're going too fast?"

"You and Dak?" Lizzie asked, confused sitting up a little straight in her chair. She pursed her lips for a moment. "No, not really. I mean, he's liked you for a long time. Why? Is something wrong? Do you not like him back?"

"No, I do like him, a lot, actually," Rhuben replied, bowing her head as she felt herself blush. "It's just…I feel like things are spinning out of control." She then lifted her head and smiled. "I'm probably just being paranoid, being around Patrick and all." Lizzie laughed and there was a knock at the door.

"Dinner's ready, mom and dad said to come down," Dak's voice said on the other side of the door.

"Coming," Lizzie said, hopping off her bed, smoothing down the back of her skirt before pulling the door open, flouncing out of the room, practically gliding as if her feet didn't touch the floor. "Smells good."

"Wash your hands," Dak called after his sister before turning towards Rhuben, giving her a warm smile, holding his hand out to her. "You look great. Really."

"Thanks," Rhuben replied, adjusting the straps on her dress. Dak's smile widened a little bit.

"Am I making you nervous?" he asked, his voice showing no concern.

"No," Rhuben automatically snapped in reply. Then her features softened a little bit and she said, "Well, yes. Can you please not stare at me like that?"

"Like what?" Dak asked, raising his eyebrows, the smile never leaving his face, making her all the more creeped out.

"Like…like…" Rhuben trailed off, not knowing how to respond, "Whatever, never mind."

"Sorry," Dak apologized as Rhuben took his hand. "Everything will be fine, you'll see." He gave her hand a small squeeze before making his way down the spiral stairs and into the dining room; where the table was already set, candles lit, and the lights in the chandelier was on low. Lizzie and her parents, Curt and Jen Zevon were already in their seats. Rhuben gave them a small smile as she took one of the only two seats that were left open.

"Mom, dad, you remember, Rhuben," Dak said as he used his feet to pull himself closer to the table.

"Ah, yes, lovely to see you again, dear," Jen said with a tight smile. Everybody knew that Jen had Botox injections so even the warmest smile could look sinister at the same time.

"Pleasure," Curt said with a nod. "Yes, yes, I remember, you're one of the girls with the manly names." He laughed a little bit, "I'm surprised people don't think your guardian has five boys with yours and Raleigh's names sounding so masculine."

"Dad," Lizzie hissed as Dak rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"No, it's fine," Rhuben replied, giving both Lizzie and Dak a reassuring smile, "Rhuben is actually short for Rhubella, which is my full name. And my _sister's_ name is _Riley_ not Raleigh." She then cleared her throat and added, "And Ronan's my dad, not just my guardian."

"Bella, now _that's _a lovely name," Jen said as she pointed her fork at Rhuben before she started in on her dinner. Rhuben decided to take that as a cue that she could start eating and started to cut into her steak. "So, Bella, how is your music going? Your family band is quiet popular."

"Thank you, we really work hard to keep our fans happy," Rhuben replied with a smile. She cringed when her knife made a screeching sound as it scraped against the bottom of her plate. "Um, we're taking the rest of the year off; since we've been working so hard since we were kids. We'll be starting up again in January."

"A break is great every now and then," Curt said as he dabbed his lips with his napkin. "Yes, Dak has been taking a break in between plays and guest appearances. Being the Teen Icon does make you pretty busy."

"But, not so busy that he doesn't spend all his free time with you," Jen added, her perfectly shaped eyebrow rising. "I've noticed the two of you have come up a lot more in all the magazines."

"Uh, yeah, mom, they liked the put the two of us together and make up rumors," Dak replied, giving his mom a smile.

"It's pretty funny what they could come up with, actually," Lizzie said as she speared a piece of broccoli with her fork. "You should see the stuff online as well. Of course, I take the time to dispel any of the rumors."

Jen made a humming noise in response, but didn't say anything else. Curt took a long sip of his beer and smacked his lips together, "Well, son, looks like you've really got a catch, here. What instrument do you play again?"

"I play the drums," Rhuben replied, shifting in her seat. "And we all know how to play the piano, and I've recently picked up the guitar, which I kind of mainly play now. And, I'm the band's choreographer. I've been dancing since I could walk."

"She's the one that inspired me to dance, daddy," Lizzie said with a smile, Curt smile as he chewed, patting Lizzie on the head. "And you're doing a bang up job, Lady Bug." He then gave Dak a smile, bumping his son's elbow and winking and saying in a low voice, "Speaking of which, being that flexible could really spice things up between you two."

"_Dad_," Dak groaned, flushing.

"Curt, that's not appropriate for the dinner table," Jen said, fixing her piercing eyes at her husband, shooting Rhuben a quick glance as she shifted in her seat again. "However, while we're on the topic, Bella, I notice you seem…_uncomfortable_." Her gaze shifted back and forth between Dak and Rhuben as Lizzie kept her eyes on the plate starting to stuff food into her mouth, her face bright red. "Is there any truth to the gossip mill? Are you two…_involved_ more than we think? I mean…we didn't _interrupt_ anything did we?"

"Mom, Rhuben was with me before dinner, nothing happened," Lizzie quickly replied before mouthing "Sorry" to Rhuben from across the table.

"No, Mrs. Zevon, we're not," Rhuben replied evenly, her accent slowly filling her voice, "Dak, WayneWayne, Riley, and I are just hanging out while we're in between jobs." She used her shoulder to brush her hair out of her face. "That's all."

"Speaking of being in between jobs," Jen said with a sniff. "Dak, we've got voice lessons for you while we were out. You start this weekend."

"Got to keep your skills on par, right, son?" Curt said with another wink towards Dak. "Have you thought about joining some acting classes as well?"

"Sure, mom, no problem," Dak replied with a smile, "and, dad, I've been thinking about it." He caught Lizzie's eye across the table and gave her a warning look, "I've had an extension on a _particular_ deadline before I make my final decision."

"Oh, but you can't pass up _this_ opportunity," Jen said with a shake of her head, sitting up straight in her seat, casting her son a disapproving look. "You've worked so hard and I'd hate to see it all go to waste. You haven't accepted any jobs lately."

"Because I've been hanging out with my friends, mom, trying to be a normal kid," Dak said with a shrug. "And that way I can go see more of Lizzie's performances and stuff. Especially since you couldn't make it to the most recent one."

"But, its ok, Rhubes was able to come," Lizzie said with a grin. "And it went off really well; I can get the DVD to you soon." She then gave Dak a teasing smile, "And you, too, I guess." Dak stuck his tongue out at her in reply and Rhuben laughed.

"Dakary Zevon," Jen scolded, tapping her plate with her fork.

"Now that isn't the way to say thank you to your sister is it?" Curt asked.

"Don't worry about it daddy, I'm used to it by now," Lizzie said with a smile before leaning over to give him an affectionate kiss on his cheek.

"But still…"

"Daddy, just eat your dinner," Lizzie said with a sigh.

"While I have your attention, when are you going to put your dancing to use and get it on screen somewhere?" Curt as ked as he picked at his dinner, his eye focused on his daughter. "I mean, you may be able to get into a dance troupe, but films and TV shows are forever, performances just last for that moment."

"I like dancing, dad," Lizzie groaned, rolling her eyes, noticing Rhuben's gaze drop to her plate. Dak shot her a sympathetic look but otherwise kept his mouth shut. "Dak is the one that likes acting. I don't want to do what he does."

"But think about it, sweetie," Jen said with a warm smile, as warm as she could look at least. "Dak has already made a name for you. You'll already have people willing to see how you do in his shoes."

"But, I don't _want _to be in his shoes," Lizzie said, slamming her hands down on the table. "I want to dance. I want to be my own Zevon and make a name for _myself_. I don't always want to be Dak Zevon's little sister."

"Don't take your tone with me, young lady," Jen said in a tight voice. She then turned and gave Rhuben a hard stare. "It's bad enough she got the idea of dancing from you, but am I to assume with how often you've been hanging off of Dakary lately that she's picked up your attitude?"

"Mom, that's not fair," Lizzie cried, throwing down her knife and fork. She then pushed her chair back and hurried out of the room, the sound of her footsteps on the staircase echoing loudly.

Curt shook his head. "It's a wonder how that McGuire fellow can keep up with you."

"Maybe I should just go," Rhuben commented, before placing her napkin on her chair, pushing it back. "It was great to see you two again." She placed a hand on Dak's shoulder and said, "I'll see myself out. I think I'm going to head home."

"You don't want a ride?" Dak asked, looking up at her, apologizing with his eyes.

"No, I'll be ok, thanks though," she replied. "Tell Lizzie I'll wash and return her dress." She hesitated a moment, before turning and making her way out of the house, closing the door behind her.

"I can't believe you did that," Dak said with a shake of his head, the minute they were gone. "First off, she's not easy like you were implying and we're not having sex."

"Dakary, she's distracting you from what's at stake here," Jen said in a tight voice. "You never told us you were having doubts about accepting the part in N2N. I can only bet it's because of _her_."

"Because I love her," Dak replied.

"Son, you don't know what love is," Curt said with a shake of his head. "Now, I'm going to have to agree with our mother; she's too distracting and she's been hanging around a lot lately. In this empty house one can only imagine what's really going on. Now, I know you have strong feelings for her, but I doubt its love. Either finish your dinner or go upstairs."

"I'm going out," Dak said with a heavy sigh, getting out of his chair, throwing his napkin down onto the table. "I'm 19 years old; when are you going to let me make my own decisions?" He turned on his heels and made his way up the stairs, instantly going over to his sister's door, knocking twice on the door before letting himself in. "You ok?"

"I guess," Lizzie replied from where she was sitting on her bed, running a brush through her hair.

"Rhubes said she'll wash and return your dress later," Dak said, moving to sit on the end of her bed.

"She can keep it," Lizzie replied with a sigh, lowering her hand. Dak silently motioned for her to hand him the brush and she did so, turning around to sit in front of him. "Why are mom and dad like that?"

"They just don't know how to leave their work in the office, that's all," Dak replied as he started to brush his sister's hair. "They just want what's best for us."

"But, what's best for _me _is dancing," Lizzie replied.

"I know, and you're a natural," Dak said, placing a kiss on top of Lizzie's head. "I'm just sad they can't see that. But, I can and I always have."

Lizzie stayed silent for a moment and then asked, "Are you and Rhuben having sex?"

"No, we're not," Dak replied, briefly closing his eyes. "And if we were, that would be the least of my problems anyway." Lizzie turned her head and gave him a curious look; silently asking what was wrong. "I've just got problems in general, Lady Bug."

"Oh," she asked, interested. She turned around to face him, pulling her knees to her chest, "Like what?"

"You've got enough things to worry about, Liz," Dak said with a shake of his head. "Maybe a later time. I'm going to meet Riley and WayneWayne at The Grove. You, Katie, and the boys can come too."

"Please?" Lizzie stuck out her bottom lip. "It will take my mind off of my problems. Why don't we give it a shot?"

"If I don't make a decision about N2N soon, I'm going to lose my place," Dak said with a sigh. "But, if I do take it, I'm afraid Rhuben will think I was just leading her on." He sighed, looking around the room for a moment before he continued. "I'm just tired of mom and dad always telling me what to do and looking at my bank account to see what I'm buying and how I'm spending my money. It's true I haven't been getting a lot of acting and singing jobs, or even paying to appear anywhere, but I just want to take a break, but I know mom and dad won't let me."

"I'm so sorry," Lizzie apologized sincerely. "I had no idea." Dak merely shrugged. "But, you have to tell Rhubes. She hates it when people keep things from her. And, she'd be happy for you. She always puts people before herself, y'know?"

"Yeah," Dak said with a nod, "And that's one of the many things I love about her. I don't want you to be left out, though. I mean, mom and dad are gone a lot and I'll be gone for almost a year doing this touring group. I don't want you here by yourself with the maids and I don't want to impose on anybody in asking you to stay with them."

"I'll be fine, Dak," Lizzie said with a shake of her head. "I'm more worried about you. Everything seems to be pulling you in so many different directions. Mom and dad will be getting on your case even more if you don't turn in that application soon."

"I know, I keep putting it off," Dak agreed, running his hand over his face. "If you're going to come go and freshen up/I'll be waiting in the car."

"Kay," Lizzie said with a smile before hurrying to her closet.

Dak let out a breath of air through his nose, making his way out of her room and quickly hurried into his to get his wallet and his car keys. He then made his way down the stairs, noticing how quiet the house was. He could hear faint clinking of silverware and looked into the dining room to see the table cleared, the swinging door leading into the kitchen gently rocking back and forth as one of the house workers had just left. Only their cups were left on the table.

Hearing soft voices he turned, and made his way to the back of the house, stopping when he saw his mom and dad on the back porch talking quietly to each other. Jen had her arms crossed tightly over her chest, and Curt had a cigar in his mouth. He removed the cigar from his mouth as he said something, waving his hand in the air, smoke trail following the burning stick as Jen furiously shook her head back and forth.

Dak left them and made his way back into the dining room, making a bee-line for his dad's seat. He grabbed the condensation covered mug, tilting his head back and took a large gulp of the beer inside, making a face as he swallowed.

"Just to smooth out the rough edges," he whispered to himself before taking another gulp.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This was originally going to be one long chapter, but I saw a place where I could split it in two. You'll see Robert, Ronan, Patrick, Noah, Sydney, Katie and WayneWayne and Riley's "Friend-Date" in the next chapter. Hope you guys liked this one.**

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	16. Meet Me Halfway Part II

**~Meet Me Halfway~**

**Part II**

* * *

><p>"Why do you still slurp your cereal?"<p>

"I don't slurp my cereal," WayneWayne replied with a roll of his eyes, peering across the table at his sister Natalie. He gave her an odd look. He _knew_ deep down somewhere that this wasn't what she really wanted to talk about. He glanced at his watch and then trained his eyes on his sister."I know you're up to something, Nat. What do you want?"

"You never call me Nat unless you're in a good mood," Natalie pointed out, her lips curling into a devilish smile. "Now, I wonder what could possibly have you this happy."

"Nothing," WayneWayne replied before lifting his bowl, drinking the rest of the milk that was in his bowl. He let out a loud burp before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Natalie's upper lip curled in a look of disgust.

"Fine, don't tell me," Natalie replied, sticking her tongue out at her brother, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Fine, I won't," WayneWayne replied, getting up to put his bowl in the sink.

"So there _is_ something." WayneWayne could practically see the smirk on her face as he ran the water in the sink, rinsing out his bowl before sticking it in the dishwasher.

"Nat, Nat, Nat." WayneWayne let out a heavy sigh when he heard Jaycee's voice as she made her way into the kitchen. He immediately turned towards her and crossed the kitchen to her side. Grasping her arm, he helped walk his very pregnant sister to a seat. "You and I _both_ know that today is a _very_ special day for Wally."

People were generally surprised to find that Jaycee and her fiancé, Stephen, lived with WayneWayne and her parents while she was pregnant. But, it was easier for them. They were both into photography, but while they've had many successful clients, when they found out they were having a baby, they switched priorities to getting ready for the baby, so they had to move home. Sometimes, it bothered WayneWayne how he had to go out and run errands for her, but he knew it came with the territory of becoming an uncle.

"Would you both just leave me alone?" WayneWayne asked once Jaycee was seated.

"I know you're a stubborn person for the sake of it, but don't be ridiculous," Jaycee said with a laugh, waving her hand in the air. "Of course we aren't going to leave you alone, little brother." She reached up and pinched WayneWayne's cheek. WayneWayne frowned, slapping Jaycee's hand away from his face.

"Oh right," Natalie said with a small smile. "Girlfriend is coming over for a daaaate."

"It's not a—"

"Don't even say it, little brother," Jaycee said with a grin. "We all know you spend all your time with her."

"Hardly," WayneWayne replied, feeling his annoyance spike quickly. "We don't have to be together a hundred percent of the time you know. Plus, it just seems like a lot because the Jacksons are taking a break from their music and helping Big Time Rush."

"Oh?" Natalie tilted her head. "So _that's_ why you're in a good mood? You can have Girlfriend all to yourself."

"That's not what I said," WayneWayne replied, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand. He took in a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "And she has a name; Riley."

"Stop being stubborn, Wally!" Natalie said with a smile. "I know you well enough to know when you like a girl." WayneWayne opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when the doorbell rang. "Oooh, that must be Girlfriend."

"Have fun on your date, but remember there are other people in this house," Jaycee replied, wagging her finger in mock concern at her younger brother. "We don't want to walk in on you making-out or anything."

"Oh, of _course_ not," Natalie grinned, putting a hand over her heart.

WayneWayne rolled his eyes but didn't say anything else. Instead he moved to the front door, swinging it open to find Riley standing in the front porch, peering over into the bushes that framed the side of the house. "Uh, something wrong?"

"I thought…" Riley trailed off, blinking. "Must've been a cat or something. You gonna let me in or what?"

"Yeah, sorry," WayneWayne replied, stepping off to the side to let her in. He then took her coat from her, hanging it up in the closet. "I didn't hear a car pull up."

"That's because I walked," Riley replied, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets. WayneWayne's eyes popped open.

"You walked?" WayneWayne repeated, his jaw dropping slightly. Riley shrugged moving into the living room. Grabbing the remote, she turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels, sitting down on the couch. WayneWayne sat down on the couch as well, but at the other end. "From your house? All the way across town?"

Riley raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, from my house," she replied with a little more bite than she intended. WayneWayne noticed her features soften slightly, although he also noticed she seemed a little defensive. "So?"

"I could've picked you up," WayneWayne replied.

"That's sweet, Wally," Riley replied, her lips curling into a smirk as WayneWayne winced when he heard his name. "But, it's not that far. It only took..." she raised her wrist towards her face to check her watch. "Thirty minutes. Besides, I needed the exercise and I stopped somewhere before I came here."

"Where'd you go?" WayneWayne asked, taking the remote from her and quickly flipping it to ESPN just in time to catch the start of the game.

Riley shifted in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest, scratching at a spot on her right arm, near the elbow, her smirk fading slightly. "The Sweet Frog on the corner of 7th and 9th is the only one that serves root beer float flavored frozen yogurt."

"Oh," WayneWayne replied simply. He then paused and peered at her.

"It's really okay," Riley replied with a wave of her hand. "Stop worrying. I'm here now, aren't I? I could use the exercise anyway; it's not like I'm spending my time dancing or anything like I usually do. Don't worry about me. How do you think the family dinner is going?"

"Knowing Mr. and Mrs. Zevon, there's only going to be so much Rhubes can take before she leaves," WayneWayne said with a sigh, sitting back down. He crossed one leg over the other, starting to bounce his foot. "But, considering I _suggested_ she go, I'm hoping it goes well."

"Why'd you want her to go so bad?" Riley asked a curious look on her face. "I mean, we all know how Dak's parents are."

"I've been thinking about this for a while," WayneWayne replied with a sigh. "Dak's parents are judgmental of everybody; I think it comes with the territory of being really famous casting directors."

"But, not all casting directors are like that," Riley replied, shaking her head.

"I know," WayneWayne agreed. "Clearly, they haven't forgotten about what you've gone through; and they're adults. Imagine if your fans do the same; scrutinize everything you do because of your past. If she can change the minds of two people and show them who they really are, then you could do the same to everybody."

"Wayne—"

"Hey, Girlfriend," Natalie said with a smile as she strolled into the living room. WayneWayne sighed, rubbing at his temples. "I was beginning to wonder when we'd see you again. Hopefully Jaycee and I didn't scare you off."

"It takes a lot to scare me," Riley muttered and WayneWayne frowned. "With all the years I've been doing press junkets, questions don't scare me."

"Oh, good," Natalie said with a wide smile. "So, Jaycee and I were wondering if you wanted something to drink. You too, Wally."

"I'm fine, thanks," WayneWayne replied, staring hard at his sister, silently willing her to go away.

"Um… can I just have a soda?" Riley asked Natalie.

"Sure," Natalie replied, smiling brightly. She jumped over the back of the couch and sat between WayneWayne and Riley before shouting, "JAYCEE, SHE WANTS A SODA!"

"Natalie!" WayneWayne cried, his eyes widening. Natalie widened her eyes as well, silently asking, _What_. "She's _pregnant_."

"Only four months, she can still waddle like the penguin she is," Natalie said with a roll of her eyes, waving her hand in the air.

"_I heard that_!" Jaycee shouted from the kitchen.

"So, Girlfriend, how's everything been lately?" Natalie asked, focusing her attention on Riley, who got a weirded out look on her face. WayneWayne silently mouthed an apology to her, before swirling his finger in the air around his ear, showing that his sister was crazy. "Any interesting boys?" Natalie winked at Riley, patting WayneWayne's knee.

Riley glanced at WayneWayne over Natalie's shoulder and smirked. "What would it matter to _you_ if I had?" she slowly replied and Natalie let out a squeal.

"So tell me, is WayneWayne as good a kisser as he claims that he is?" Natalie asked.

"_Natalie_," WayneWayne groaned. "Get out. Now." He started to push Natalie off the couch with his feet. She wrapped her arm around WayneWayne's leg and started to tickle his feet.

"Nooo," Natalie whined, a smile still on her face. "This is just getting to the good part."

"Here's your soda," Jaycee called out as she waddled into the room. WayneWayne groaned, running his hands over his face as Riley took the can of soda with a smile. "How are you, I haven't seen you in a while, Girlfriend.

"I'm fine, thanks," Riley replied.

"So, how's school going?" Jaycee asked, leaning against the back of the couch, holding her protruding belly with both hands. "I've heard you're home school. Have you thought about what you want to do after?" Her eyes darted back and forth between Riley and WayneWayne.

"It's fine, actually," Riley replied, popping the can of soda. "Being home schooled is so much easier, and I never wanted to drop out. And I haven't decided yet. Rhuben and I were talking about taking college courses online after this year." A weird look then crossed her face. "But, I've always wanted to be a doctor."

WayneWayne knew that what she really meant was after all the times she's been in the hospital she wanted to go into pediatrics, or anything to help somebody who had gone through abuse just like her. It was something that she barely shared with anybody, but it as her backup plan if she ever decided to leave the music business.

"Isn't that interesting, Wally?" Natalie asked, elbowing her brother in the side. "Girlfriend decided _not_ to drop out of school."

"It was my decision and my decision alone, Natalie, not yours," WayneWayne snapped. "If you don't mind, we're trying to watch the game! That's why I asked her over."

"_Suuuure_," Jaycee said with a wink. "But, I know when we're not wanted. Natalie and I will go so you can start making out."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Natalie said, smiling up at Jaycee. "I was just asking Girlfriend about WayneWayne and if he was as good a kisser as he says he is."

"If we don't leave, we won't find out now will we?" Jaycee replied, giving WayneWayne a wink. She then paused and said, "That…sounded weird. Ok, on that note, we're now leaving." She grabbed Natalie's arm and pried her off of WayneWayne, off the couch, and out of the living room.

"If I had known my idiot sisters were going to be here, I wouldn't have suggested catching the game here," WayneWayne commented through gritted teeth, looking the most annoyed Riley had ever seen him. "Sorry, Riles. And sorry they keep calling you, Girlfriend."

"No worries," Riley replied with a wave her of her hand, tucking her legs underneath her as she rested her arm on the arm of the couch. She took a long sip of her soda and added, "I've been called worse all my life, 'Girlfriend' doesn't bother me. Besides, it's my own fault since I went along with the joke."

"Oh great," WayneWayne replied with a roll of his eyes. "I not only have to hang out with you but now I also have to pretend to be a doting boyfriend anytime you come around here."

"I'm afraid so," Riley said with a sigh, shaking her head, looking stoic before giving a cheeky grin as to which WayneWayne quickly realized where Sydney got it from. "Oh come on, _Wally_... You know you love hanging out with me."

"You must be delusional, _Rilandon_," WayneWayne replied with a chuckle.

"Hm, maybe I am," Riley said with a shrug.

"What do you mean?" WayneWayne asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

"It was a joke," Riley instantly replied.

"Oh." WayneWayne gave a short nod. He knew that she wasn't telling him the whole truth, but decided not to press anymore about it. On a few occasions did he push his luck and get an earful from her about not pressing too much into her private life. He was distracted when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at the screen and jabbed his thumb nail into the touch screen opening up the message.

**Dak:** _Dinner was a disaster. Rhubes went home. Grove? Bring Riles too. Liz and I are picking up Katie and the boys from the PW._

**WayneWayne: **_Sorry, man. :(Rhubes not coming?_

**Dak: **_No. I think she wants to talk to Ronan._

**WayneWayne: **_Meet you there._

"Dak and Lizzie are picking up Katie and your brothers to head on over to the Grove," WayneWayne announced, sliding his phone back into his pocket. "He wants us to meet him there." He then glanced over at the TV. "Um, sorry we've barely watched the game."

"Don't worry about it," Riley replied with a shake of her head. "You wanted to help me take my mind off things and it worked." She smiled at WayneWayne and he gave a smile of relief in reply. "I'm just sorry your sisters are going to lose their form of entertainment for the night."

"They'll live," WayneWayne replied. "I'll get your coat." He hurried to the front door and grabbed her coat from a hanger, holding it out to her to help her put it on. He then grabbed his shoes from the door and grabbed his car keys off the hook on the corkboard that sat by the front door and pulled the door open. "Would Rhuben actually go to Ronan about this? I mean, you said she went to him when she first got her period, but—"

"We don't…keep things from Ronan," Riley replied as she stepped out on the porch. WayneWayne quickly called a 'goodbye' into the house before closing the door behind them. "Well, I mean, once Rhubes and I fully trust him, we never kept things from him. I mean, except for, y'know."

"Yeah," WayneWayne replied quietly, "I know." He unlocked the doors to his car and got in on the driver's side and started to buckle himself in. "So, if Rhubes when to Ronan when she first got her period, than what did you go to him for?"

"Bra shopping and shaving," Riley replied, glancing out the window. She then suddenly snorted.

"Are they at the window?" WayneWayne asked, closing his eyes an annoyed look on his face.

"Yyyep," Riley replied before turning to face him. She peered at him for a moment before leaning over, giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

"What was that for?" WayneWayne asked as he opened his eyes.

"Well, _one_, to give your sisters something to talk about for the rest of the night so they won't bother you so much, and _two_; because I felt like it," Riley replied counting off on her fingers. "And three; like I said, it's my fault, so, I'd like to help out."

"Ok, then," WayneWayne replied as he started up the car.

"You can smile, I know you want to," Riley commented, arching an eyebrow. WayneWayne laughed as he pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

><p>"So then mom basically accused Rhubes of being easy and implied that she interrupted her and Dak having sex before dinner, said something about bad about Ronan and then she left," Lizzie explained as she wiped ice cream from her wrist. She lifted her cone to her mouth and started dragging her tongue around her ice cream cone, spinning the cone in her hand to stop the ice cream from melting onto her wrist.<p>

They were all at The Grove, walking around and looking at the stores. Dak, WayneWayne, and Riley were walking up ahead of them, talking quietly. As soon as Dak and Lizzie pulled up to the Palm Woods to get Katie, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney, they younger kids immediately knew something was wrong when they didn't see Rhuben there.

"They've barely been dating," Katie pointed out. "Only for like, three weeks now."

"That's what I've been thinking," Lizzie replied.

Patrick let out a whistle. "That's rough," he commented. "Not that I blame Rhubes for leaving; your parents are assholes."

"Patrick," Noah said with a frown.

"I _know_ you agree with me, Noah," Patrick said with a shake of his head, taking the cup of ice cream out of his brother's hands to take a bite of his hot fudge sundae. "Don't go all parental on me." Noah's frown just deepened. Patrick wasn't one to ever really use derogatory names to describe people unless he was really mad about something.

"Don't worry about it, Noah," Lizzie replied with a shake of her head, putting her free hand on Noah's shoulder. "I understand why Pat's mad."

"And they still don't get how they upset you?" Katie asked her friend, holding her ice cream cone out to Sydney, who was quietly following them. She wiped her sticky hands on her napkin before taking it back from the smaller boy.

"Sounds more like they don't care," Sydney spoke up around a mouthful of ice cream. "But that's ok, 'because we care." Noah gave a small smile, reaching out to ruffle Sydney's hair. "And Dak cares, too."

"Yeah, I know," Lizzie replied.

"But, what are you going to do when Dak leaves?" Katie asked. Her eyes then widened as she slapped her hand over her mouth and Lizzie turned to face her with a shocked look.

"I'll figure it out," Lizzie replied with a shrug before turning to look at Patrick, Noah, and Sydney "I'm more worried about you guys though."

"Why?" Noah asked, leaning away from Patrick, making a noise of protest as he tried to eat his sundae.

"I mean, it's just," Lizzie flushed when she saw the suspicious look on his face. She didn't blame him. Even being friends with him for a long time, there were some cases where she felt like she had to walk on eggshells around him, or his brothers and sisters just in case she said something bad. "Forget it, never mind."

"No, I think she's just saying how we've always wanted friends who we can trust completely," Sydney explained to his older brother, "and how it would be hard to have that and to suddenly lose it. Like, whenever Ronan goes on business trips that we can't go on. It's weird not having him there." He lifted his chocolate chip cookie from his ice cream and took a large bite. "Patrick calls him every ten minutes, y'know?"

"No, I don't," Patrick said with a scowl. "It's more like…once every hour and a half." He then hip-bumped Sydney and the smaller boy lost his footing and he fell to the ground, dropping his ice cream. "Oops."

"Oh no," Sydney cried, his shoulders slumping as he picked up the dropped cup and spoon. He sighed, getting up off the ground to throw it away. He then walked over to Patrick and started to slap him repeatedly."You did that on purpose, boofhead!"

"Here," Noah said, placing a calm hand on Sydney's shoulders and handed him his cup of ice cream all the while silently glaring at his brother.

"Sorry," Patrick said, widening his eyes at his two brothers.

He tugged on his shirt hood, pulling it down over his face, chewing on his bottom lip; his way of turning into himself when he was embarrassed or nervous about something. Sydney silently peered up at Patrick and moved to wrap an arm around his waist in a hug. Patrick smiled down at his baby brother and put his arm around Sydney's shoulders.

"I think we should be heading home soon," Noah spoke up, glancing at his watch. "Ronan might start to worry."

"Yeah, my mom, too," Katie replied, looking at her watch as well.

"Dak!" Lizzie shouted, getting his brother's attention. "We should get going. Mama Knight might start freaking out if Katie's not home soon and Ronan should be expecting them as well."

"Alright, um, WayneWayne, you mind taking Katie back to the Palm Woods and I'll take the Jacksons home?" Dak asked, turning to his friend.

"Yeah, no problem," WayneWayne replied with a shrug.

"We'll just take the bus," Riley said, sliding her hands in her jeans pockets, tilting her head to the side. Patrick, Noah, and Sydney moved to stand next to her. "It drops us off a two minute walk from home."

"You sure?" WayneWayne asked.

"We take the bus all the time, its fine," Patrick replied. "See you guys later." He lifted his hand in a wave and before any of them could say anything else, they started walking down the street.

"Was Riles acting weird when she was over at your house?" Dak asked in a low voice as he turned towards WayneWayne.

"I wasn't going to say anything," WayneWayne replied with a sigh. "But, yeah."

Dak just nodded, glancing over his shoulder before ushering the girls towards the parking lot where he and WayneWayne left their cars.

* * *

><p>"I don't know about this," Sydney said as he kicked his legs back and forth on the bus seat he was sitting in. He was squished in one seat in between Patrick and Noah as he finished the twins' shared ice cream cone.<p>

"Ronan's not expecting us home for a little while, its fine," Riley replied, staring out the front window of the bus.

"What if he asks what we did?" Patrick asked, pulling his hood lower down over his face. Riley reached out and pushed it back.

"Then we'll tell him the truth," Riley replied. "I was at WayneWayne's, you were at the Palm Woods, we went to The Grove, and then we took the bus home. We just won't add this little stop in." She looked over at Noah who, as usual, was silent, but looked around curiously. "You ok?"

Noah nodded and Riley moved her hand to brush his hair out of his face. She saw in his eyes that he was telling the truth and Noah gave a small smile before taking her hand, giving it a small squeeze. "I'm fine."

They continued to ride in silence until their stop was called. They then got off the bus, immediately making their way down the street, glancing over their shoulders a few times. They soon came up to a long driveway and started their way up, hurrying up to the building and making their way inside.

"It's about time," Rhuben commented setting down the magazine that she held in her hands as she stood up in the waiting area. "I've already signed us in." She reached into her pocket and pulled out badges, handing them out to 'em. "Visiting hours end in a few hours." She then looked at Riley. "You sure Ronan doesn't know we're here?"

"Positive," Riley replied with a sigh. "You guys ready?"

"I just…I guess I don't understand," Sydney spoke up. "I mean, this is Robert we're talking about. Why are we giving him another chance?"

"We always give people a second chance, Little Man," Noah spoke up. "Just not thirds or fourths, y'know?" he placed his hands on his brother's shoulders. "Besides; you were the first one to convince us, well Riley really, that WayneWayne wasn't a bad guy." He then looked at his siblings. "Maybe we could go two for two and show Ronan that Robert has changed as well?"

Patrick swore. "Curse us! We just _have_ to put other people's feelings before ours all the time." He shook his head, his shoulders slumping.

"Robert has feeling?" Sydney asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Perfect time to find out," Rhuben replied, her lips forming a thin line.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know I said you'll see Robert and Ronan in this chapter, but I really think it should've ended here. The next chapter will show the two of them and answer a few questions you guys have.**

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	17. Take Away My Anxiety

**~Take Away My Anxiety~**

* * *

><p>The soft knock on the door startled Robert. He slowly put his book down, sitting up to stare at the door before another knock sounded. He let out a sigh, swinging his legs off of his bed, standing. Stretching his arms over his head, he made his way to the door, twisting the door knob, and swung the door open, immediately noticing the five pairs of blue eyes looking back at him.<p>

For a moment they just stared at each other, but the Sydney blinked, and Robert pulled herself together enough to speak. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting," came the short reply from Riley. He didn't miss her snarky attitude at all.

Robert was a bit surprised and looked around for Ronan, barely hearing Patrick's quick explanation that Ronan didn't know they were there. He shrugged and stepped back, inviting them inside. _Now what_? _I didn't think they'd actually come back._

"Would you like some tea?" he asked.

"We hate tea," came the chorused reply and Robert rolled his eyes.

"Of course," he muttered, shaking his head. "How about hot chocolate then?" He asked as he closed the door behind him. "Please, sit." He heard shuffling behind him as he moved to gather some of the cups off the desk. "Just have to clean 'em."

He picked up the mugs, noticing the rings of coffee on the wood of the desk, and carried them into the bathroom to quickly clean with the bar of soap. "It's late, Ronan must be getting worried about you," he casually commented."

"…It's Friday," Patrick replied after a moment of silence. "We're always out on Fridays. Fridays are dad's days."

Ronan felt his grip tighten on the mug in his hand as he said, "That's nice of you. Everyone deserves a break now and then." _Not like you brats ever gave me one. _Once he was sure the mugs were clean, he filled them with hot water and carefully carried them back into the sitting area, handing them to the kids before he retrieved a box of Swiss Miss hot chocolate packets, handing one out to each of 'em. Noah was the only one who didn't start making the drink for himself. "What's wrong?"

"I don't like hot chocolate," Noah replied, holding the packet out for Robert to take.

"Why didn't you tell me _before_?" Robert growled, ripping the packet out of his hand. The force of the grab, jostled Noah's arm and he spilled the hot water on his leg. Noah let out a cry of pain as he jumped to his feet, dumping some ore of the hot water on his stomach as he did so. "Watch it! You're such a klutz."

Noah briefly glanced at Robert before setting his cup down, rapidly pulling his shirt away from his chest to fan his bright red stomach. "You ok?" Patrick asked his brother and Noah silently nodded. "Ice?" Noah glanced over at Robert before shaking his head.

Robert briefly closed his eyes, feeling his annoyance spike. _Just relax, Rob. You won't be able to get them to get you out of here if you don't keep your cool_. He groaned internally as he looked at his ex-kids, berating herself for his moment of weakness. _I don't know anything about children. Heck, I don't even like them. That's the whole reason I'm here in the first place. And now here I am, having to face these brats again. God, I wish there was another way out of this dump._

"So, why are you here?" Robert slowly asked, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"You asked for us," Riley replied, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, "to come so you could prove to us that you've changed." She tilted her head towards Noah. "So far, that doesn't seem to be true."

Robert gave a small laugh. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here," he muttered, c rossing his arms over his chest. He wasn't surprised that she was the only one speaking up. She had always been the ring leader and the rest of them just followed her lead. "The best you can do is give me another chance." His eyes narrowed slightly and he added, "After all, I kept you alive."

"Oh, you mean, in between the beatings," Riley replied and Robert closed his eyes, letting out a breath of air through his nose.

"I'm…sorry for that," Robert slowly replied, as if it was painful for him to get the words out. And it was. He was never one to apologize for anything he did. "I'm sorry…for the pain I've caused all of you." He grit his teeth briefly and then relaxed. "I have changed. Really." He sighed, rubbing his hands together. "How've you been since we last saw each other?"

Rhuben's lips twisted into something resembling a wry smile, and he looked away, focusing his eyes on the picture above their heads. "Since we last saw each other," she asked dryly, "or since we last spoke?"

"Touché," Robert replied, just as dryly.

"…I'm learning how to play the guitar," Rhuben replied and Robert blinked in surprise. "It was Ronan's idea; have the two girls in the band front and center." She quickly finished her hot chocolate and put her mug down on the floor. "You know me, I hate being the center of attention."

"I brought up that idea a long time ago," Robert replied, his eyes widening slightly and Rhuben shook her head.

"You _demanded_ that we do it a long time ago," Rhuben replied with a shake of her head. "He asked. There's a difference."

"Look," Robert said with a sigh, putting his hands up into the air. "The only reason I acted the way I did, was because it's how I was treated as a kid."

"Makes sense," Sydney commented. Noah glanced at him, a confused look on his face, frowning. "Most kids who are abused as a kid, grow up to do the same to their own kids." Robert blinked, forgetting how smart the little boy was, as Sydney tilted his head to the side. "If I had to guess, you were verbally abused as well. It's a good thing you're getting help." His lips twitched. "You've never apologized before."

"Why did you do it?" Riley asked. "That's all I want to know."

"My parents, especially my dad, never believed I could become something or someone for that matter," Robert replied, clasping his hands in his lap. "I was an accident; they don't believe in abortions. They never hesitated to tell me how much I screwed up their lives." He bowed his head and added, "Just like I did to you."

He paused and looked up at the kids and saw that they were exchanging glances, having a silent conversation. He hated it whenever they did that. It was hard for him to control what they were thinking or planning when they did it. It made him feel like he was losing his grip on them. But, he could fix that. "You don't believe me."

"I don't know if I want to believe you," Riley replied, choosing her words carefully, her blue eyes flashing. She held her breath for a moment before saying, "The receptionist downstairs said you talk highly of us. That you were excited that 'your kids' were coming."

"Ok, so maybe, I shouldn't have called you my kids," Robert said with a chuckle.

"Damn straight," Patrick replied, arching an eyebrow, lifting his feet to rest them on the end of Robert's bed, crossing one leg over the other.

Robert leaned forward, roughly pushing his feet to the floor. "Feet off the bed," he said before pointing a warning finger in Patrick's face, "And don't take that tone with me." Patrick's eyes widened and he gave a slight nod, moving to pull his legs up to his chest in his chair. "I know you're not my kids, but despite the negative stuff between us, I was and am still proud of you guys."

Rhuben snorted, shaking her head. Robert's eyebrows twitched and he moved to her. "I'm not, however, proud of all the press in the magazines and online about you and Dak Zevon," he commented, running his fingers through his long hair. "First thing's first; are you dating him?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but we have been on a few dates," Rhuben replied, brushing her hair out of her face. "I just came from dinner with his parents, actually."

Robert's eyes rose in surprise, "I'm surprised the press hasn't gotten any word of that yet."

"I'm really careful," Rhuben replied, cutting her eyes at him. "Y'know, like how we've been able to keep our abuse a secret from our fans."

"I deserve that," Robert replied with a nod.

"Yeah, about that," Riley commented, getting his attention. "We're going to tell our fans about our past soon."

"What do you mean?" Robert asked, his eyes narrowing.

"We're going to tell them the full story about how we started our band and how we came to be so popular in our life," Riley replied, narrowing her eyes as well. "We're not sure if we're going to film a youtube series about it or get someone like MTV in here to do a special kinda like Demi Lovato. But, we're going to announce to our fans our abuse."

"But, that's—" Robert swallowed thickly. "I accepted the plea bargain so my name wouldn't be out there." He curled his hands into fists at his sides, looking away. "Ronan's…he's worked so hard to keep it a secret." A weird look crossed his face. "You wouldn't…you wouldn't want all his hard work to go to waste. _He _would get backlash as well." He looked at the kids and saw them starting to look uneasy. It's a crime to not report suspected child abuse."

"We'll figure everything out," Riley said as she got to her feet, motioning to her brothers and sister that it was time to go, "But we're going to tell our fans the truth. They deserve that."

"_No_!" Robert shouted, causing all of them to jump. He leaped off his bed and slapped Riley across the face. Sydney whimpered, moving closer to Noah's side. "I didn't accept that _stupid_ plea bargain and allowed myself to get _shut up in this hell hole_ just for you to go and put my name out there for what I've done."

"You did this to yourself," Riley muttered, tears of pain collecting in her eyes as she rubbed her cheek. "The truth would come out eventually."

"That's why you wanted us here," Noah suddenly spoke up and Robert looked over at him. "You kept saying you wanted to show us that you've changed. " He used his hand to brush his hair out of his face. "You just want us to report that to the people here so you can get out." He then looked at his brothers and sisters. "I read online that patients are able to leave their programs early if they've proven to have changed drastically, kinda like how you can leave jail for good behavior."

"Let's just go," Sydney muttered and they immediately made their way to the door, but Robert blocked the way, glaring at them, pointing a menacing finger in their direction.

"You brats are going to help me get out of here," Robert muttered. "I don't belong in here. I've been doing everything right. They say I can get out if they can get high praise from you." He ran his hands over his face. "If I can be let out of here, I can show you that I can talk to people and treat them with respect. I can change. I just need to be in a whole different place. Please."

"Move," Riley replied, glaring at the floor. Robert let out a heavy sigh and moved away from the door, pulling it open to let them leave. No one said a word as they made their way down to the lobby to turn in their visitor passes. "Have a good night."

"You too," the woman behind the glass replied with a smile. "Two visits so close to each other? Robert must be over the moon. He really talks highly of you kids."

"How is he doing?" Patrick asked, tugging on his hood.

"You didn't ask him?" the woman asked, a surprised look on her face. She shook her head, batting the air with her hand. "Oh, he's just passing everything with flying colors. He's definitely changed since he first arrived; a lot nicer and he's even made some friends here."

"Thank you," Patrick replied with a nod, giving a fleeting smile.

"I hope to see you again," the woman called after them.

"What a load of bullshit," Riley said as she rubbed her cheek. "He's got those people wrapped around his finger."

"He has changed though," Rhuben commented, her arms crossed over her chest. Riley silently turned to face her. "Stop it with the face; it's called an observation."

"It's called, he'll never change, _sis_," Riley shot back and Rhuben's eyes narrowed. "I don't buy his excuse. If he hated being yelled at and kicked around all the time, he would've tried harder not to hurt us."

"Look, all that matters is that we don't do that to each other, or to our kids if and when we have some of our own," Noah spoke up. "There's no point in arguing with each other. We're all on the same side here." He shook his head. "Let's just get home."

"How's your hand?" Sydney asked quietly.

"I'll live," Noah replied, his lips twitching into a small smile. "I'm not going anywhere."

Riley grabbed Rhuben's arm as they walked to the bus stop. "I don't like how Robert knows about your business," she commented.

"What, you think I do?" Rhuben asked, clearly annoyed.

"Just be a little more careful around him; Dak," Riley replied. "He was acting weird at The Grove tonight. He told us what happened at dinner."

"Surprisingly, it didn't bother me," Rhuben commented as she brushed her sister's hand off of her. "I think I'm just used to people's judgment, but that really just fueled me to wanting to explain to our fans about our past." She gave a small, confident smile and added, "If I can change the minds of two casting directors and show them that I'm right for the 'part' of Dak's girlfriend, then we can get through the announcement without any backlash."

"Rhubes, I think Dak was buzzed," Riley commented as she stopped walking. Rhuben gave her a confused look and Riley turned to their brothers. "He was weird to you too, right?"

"I mean—" Patrick trailed off, eyes wide at suddenly being put on the spot, "for someone who hates it when his parents judge his friends, he seemed ok with it. Like _ok_, ok with it." Noah silently nodded.

Rhuben didn't say anything, but looked over at Sydney. "What do you think?"

"Um, well, we _have _been around Robert all the time, so, um, we should know?" Sydney asked, digging the toe of his shoe into the ground, "Sorry, Rhu-Rhu."

"So'm I," Rhuben replied with a shake of her head. _Don't do this to me, Dak._

* * *

><p>Ronan paced his apartment, glancing at the clock, tapping the phone in his hand. He let out a heavy sigh before punching a number in with his thumb, holding it up to his ear. A second later, he made a face and jerked the phone away from his ear.<p>

Gustavo had picked up and immediately yelled, "_No, they're not here! Stop calling me, McGuire_."

"Sorry, sorry," Ronan all but shouted into the phone keeping it away from his ear. "I'm just getting worried."

"_Yeah, well, they're not here_," Gustavo replied and then his tone lowered, "_Kelly and I will keep an eye out. And we'll ask the dogs if they've heard anything._" He then hung up the phone and Ronan was left listening to the dial tone. Ronan knew Gustavo was worried as well, but wasn't the type to really admit his feelings. About anything.

"Thanks man," Ronan replied with a small eye roll before hanging up and punching in another number. "Hey, Kacy, it's me again."

"_Hey, Ronan_," Mrs. Knight replied on the other end of the phone. "_They're not here. Katie's been texting them but they haven't answered._"

"They haven't answered me as well," Ronan replied, running his hands through his hair, moving to sit down. "I don't know if they're just in an area where they don't get a lot of service or if they're ignoring the calls or texts."

"_I'm sure they'll turn up soon_," Mrs. Knight replied. "_Try not to worry too much. They've got a lot going on right now. They probably just wanted you to take every minute of your day off to yourself._"

"Yeah, I've been thinking that too," Ronan replied, resting his forehead in his palm, "but they'd call or text if they'd be staying out later than they planned." He looked up when he heard the front door open and sighed when his kid walked in. "They just got back."

"_Oh thank goodness,_" Mrs. Knight replied, sounding relieved as well. "_I'll tell Katie. Call me tomorrow_."

"Sure," Ronan replied, as he followed his kids with his eyes as they kicked their shoes off by the front door and moved to go to their rooms. "Freeze." He climbed off the stool he was sitting on, forcing himself not to laugh when he saw that his kids had actually stopped moving on the spot as if frozen to the floor. "Sit down on the couch."

Ronan rubbed his forehead as his kids moved to sit down on the couch. Riley hugged a pillow to her chest. "First; are you ok?" Noah immediately pulled his hand into his shirt sleeve. "What happened to your hand?"

"Um, I burned it with some hot chocolate," Noah replied as he pulled his knees to his chest. "I'm ok."

"Have Riley look at it before you go to bed," Ronan commented and Noah just nodded in reply. He then moved to sit on the coffee table, facing them. "You guys really scared me tonight."

"We said we were going to The Grove," Riley replied, pinching Patrick on the arm. She made sure her hand was covered by the pillow she hugged to her chest, "and that we'd be back late."

"Dak and WayneWayne said that you left hours ago to come home," Ronan replied, looking each of his kids in the eye. He learned quickly that in dealing with them they could communicate without having to say anything, and the quickest way for them to do so was by their eyes. He made sure all eyes were on him. "I was getting worried when I didn't hear from you. Where'd you go? You _know_ it's a rule that I have to know where you are all the time."

Sydney muttered something as he chewed on his thumbnail. Ronan asked him to repeated what he said. "The bus broke down," Sydney replied a little louder. "We woulda called, but there was no reception where we were. We didn't mean for you to worry."

"Yeah, and it gave you some more time to yourself tonight," Rhuben added, clasping her hands together in her lap. "That's what you wanted, right?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to talk to you as well," Ronan replied, placing a hand on her knee, shaking her leg. "Dak told me about what happened with his parents. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Rhuben replied with a shake of her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I was hoping you would," Ronan commented, a hurt look passing quickly over his features. "But, it's your decision." He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "You scared a lot of people tonight by your actions."

"We told you, the bus—"

"I don't know where you were tonight, but I know you're lying about the bus," Ronan commented, stopping Sydney from continuing with his sentence. "I called Kacy, Kelly, Gustavo, Dak, WayneWayne and Lizzie if they had any idea of where you could be. I almost called the police."

"_Ok_, we get it," Riley said getting annoyed. "We're sorry."

"No, it's not ok," Ronan replied, his voice stern. "I hate yelling at you guys like this, but I feel you've really been pushing the boundaries of your free liberties around here." He let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping. "Just don't scare me like that again."

"We won't," Sydney said as he wiggled off the couch to give his dad a hug. "We didn't mean to scare you. Sorry, Ronan."

"Yeah, we're sorry," Patrick added. "We were really at the mall. You know how hard it is for us to get cell signal in there." He grinned at him and said, "We were coming up with ideas on what to get you for you birthday."

"A nice gift would be you guys _not _giving me a heart attack," Ronan replied with a shake of his head. He then turned towrads Riley. "So, how was the Sox game?"

"Yeah, how was your date?" Patrick asked with a grin.

"Yeah, I'm going to bed," Riley said as she got off the couch, heading to the room she shared with Rhuben. "Night."

"After her," Ronan deadpanned, jumping to his feet as Sydney, Patrick, and Noah immediatley ran after their sister.


	18. Pushing Me Away

**~Pushing Me Away~**

* * *

><p>"Are you <em>sure<em> you're ok?" Rhuben asked, setting her glass of soda down onto the table. "You've been really quiet lately which is _really_ unlike you."

"Yeah," Dak replied, flashing her a quick smile. "I just have something important I want to talk to you about something."

"If it has anything to do with your parents, don't worry about it," Rhuben replied, shaking her head. "It doesn't bother me anymore. It's just their criticism of me and I know that not everyone's going to like me." She shrugged before taking another bite out of her burger. "I want to talk to you about something, too."

"Well, that's great, but that's not what I was going to say," Dak replied with a short laugh. "It's, um, something a little more important." Rhuben's eyebrows knitted together as she stopped what she was doing, giving him his full attention. "Y'see, I've been—"

"Excuse me."

Dak stopped in the middle of his sentence at the small voice and the two of them turned to see a girl around their age standing by their table, looking a little shy. There was a smaller girl beside her, hanging onto her out of shyness.

"Hi, sorry," the older girl said, giving the two of them an apologetic look. "We saw you come in—I don't mean to interrupt your date-can you give my little sister, Carly, an autograph?"

"Sorry, but I don't give autographs when I'm eating," Rhuben replied, giving her a polite smile. "If you're still here when we're done, I'd be happy to—"

"One autograph isn't going to kill you," Dak said interrupting Rhuben, turning in his seat to face the two girls, giving them a charming smile. "It's no problem, sweetie." He reached out a hand and tickled the small girl under her chin, causing her to giggle. "Would her big sister like one too?"

The older girl blushed, a wide grin blossoming on her face. "Um, s-sure, why not?" she asked, stumbling over her words. "Thank you so much." She then glanced over at Rhuben who started to stack her French fries on top of each other as she handed Dak a napkin. "I really don't mean to interrupt you guys." She gave Rhuben a fleeting smile. "You two sure are cute together. So, the rumors are true?"

"We're just hanging out is all," Dak replied as he tried to scribble a message on the napkin. "But, yes, it's true I've liked her since I've met her." He made a noise of triumph when he got the pen to work and quickly scribbled a message for Carly and gave it to her saying, "Here you go, sweetie." She timidly took and gave me a cute smile. "She's adorable."

"I know," the older girl replied, practically swooning. "I love you. I'm Jen. I love you." She then gave an ecstatic wave before rushing off. Dak smiled when he heard a faint "Mommy! Daddy! Guess what just happened!" from somewhere across the restaurant.

"Sorry about that," Dak quickly apologized, watching as the French fry tower fell over. "I know you guys hate it when I do that."

"What'd you want to talk to me about?" Rhuben asked, glancing at her watch.

"Do you…have to be somewhere else?" Dak asked, a worried look crossing his face.

"Uh, no," Rhuben replied, shaking her head. "Sydney wanted me to bring back ice cream. I was just trying to, uh, figure out how long I had until he, um, started to complain." She rolled her eyes. "You know how he is with ice cream."

"Unfortunately, I know that first hand," Dak said with a grin, laughing a little bit. "Anyway, what I wanted to tell you is that—"

"Excuse me." Dak briefly closed his eyes before turning towards a tall, brunette, who was batting her eyelashes at him. "Hi, I'm Jasmine but my friends call me Jazz. I saw you with that little girl and was wondering if you'd sign an autograph for me as well?"

"I'd love to, but I'm in the middle of something," Dak replied, motioning towards Rhuben who gave a finger wave in reply.

"Oh, you two are so cute together," Jazz commented as if she had no care in the world that she was interrupting their date. And with the way she was flipping her hair over her shoulders, and smiling widely, it was no secret to anyone else. "You know, people online call you Della. It's not as cute as Jelena, but you two are really giving them a run for their money as cutest couple out there right now."

"Thanks, I guess," Rhuben replied, giving Dak an odd look over Jazz's head.

Dak gave Jazz a quick smile. "That's very nice of you, Jazz, but—"

"This won't take too long, I promise," Jazz replied, placing a hand on his wrist. She bent at the waist as she leaned forward, giving Dak a good view of her breasts. She flipped her hair again, batting her eyelashes. "Please?"

"Um, sure," Dak replied, giving Rhuben an apologetic look, taking the napkin from her. "To Jazz, right?"

"Jasmine," Jazz purred. Rhuben rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Thank you."

And then he was ambushed. He should've seen it coming. He practically choked when a girl behind him threw her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug, screaming in his ear. "I love you, Dak!" The girl was quickly pulled off of him, or rather pushed aside by the next girl beside her.

"Um, yeah... " Dak called to her over the loud shouts. "See you around...I guess."

Dak could barely see anything in front of him, his hand started to hurt, his head started to pound, but he kept on signing, hoping to get everyone away from him and his table as fast as possible. But the people just kept coming. He started out writing little messages at first, but as the crowd became unruly, he started only signing his name.

"_Ohmygosh**!**__DakZevon! _He gave me an autograph_!_" a girl was practically flailing as she made her way away from the table. "He's in there. He's so hot. Ohmygosh!"

Before he knew it, he was signing the last autograph, his hand hurting, his back sore from being hunched over the table. He gave a weak smile, leaning back in his chair, running his hands over his face. As he dropped her arms to the table, he groaned, seeing the empty chair in front of him and the paid bill. He pushed his chair back and hurried towards the front door to the restaurant.

Pushing it open, he saw Rhuben kneeling next to a bench, signing an autograph for a little girl. She handed her pen and notepad back to her and gave a finger wave, watching as the girl hurried back over to her family. Rhuben's smile slowly faded as she turned to face him.

"Please, don't be like that," Dak groaned, suddenly feeing exhausted. "I'm not in the mood for it. Besides, you're in this business too, you know how it is."

"Yes, but I also know how to say 'no' to people when I'm eating," Rhuben replied, arching an eyebrow in reply.

_You just know how to say 'no' in general. _Dak sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, as he kicked at the ground. "I know, but you know how I hate turning down an autograph," he replied.

"There's a difference between turning down an autograph and putting it off until you're done eating," Rhuben said with a shake of her head. "I learned that the hard way, but I know how to do it politely and respectfully." She peered at him and added, "Not only to the person I'm talking to but for the person _I'm sharing dinner with too_."

"I know," Dak replied, stepping closer to her, lowering his voice. "I'll make it up to you, I promise. You want to go get some ice cream?"

"I want to go home is what I want," Rhuben replied, taking a large step back from him.

"You're mad," Dak pointed out and Rhuben gave him a 'duh' look in reply. "I know and I understand."

"I don't think you do, actually," Rhuben replied, her eyes narrowing slightly. "God, this brought more attention to us than I wanted."

Dak suddenly got annoyed. He was tired and all he wnted was to spend some quiet, alone time with her and now all he was getting was a lecture and an even bigger headache with how loud she was being. "Ever stop and think that not everything is about you, even though you think it is?" he shot back, running his hands over his face.

"Easy for you to say," Rhuben replied, her eyebrows shooting up. "_I _wasn't the one who just spent an hour and a half of a _date _signing autographs for people. It's like…you can't function without giving one to somebody."

"_What_?" Dak all but yelled, his eyes widening, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Who the hell are you to say something like that to me?" He uncurled his hands and slid them into his jeans pockets before started to pace. "You know how seriously I take my work." _Not that I've had a lot of it lately. Maybe I should just take the stupid job with N2N. Why am I even weighing my decision on her? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity._

"And it's '_your work_' that made me _not _want to go out with you in the first place," Rhuben shot back, stomping her foot. "I _knew_ something like this was going to happen. I don't know why I was so _stupid_."

"Oh, so the fact that you have feelings for me is stupid?" Dak asked, letting out a noise of disbelief. "Or is the idea that you could actually care about someone besides your family stupid?" He tilted his head to the side. "Oh, wait, I'm sorry, I think it's actually anything that _doesn't_ have to do with you and your family is stupid."

"No; your _actions _are stupid. You know I would _never_ ignore you to sign stupid autographs, Dakary Zevon," Rhuben snapped, throwing her arms into the air. "And you know how important my family is to me. But, not only that my friends are important too. And if you can't—" She suddenly stopped, putting her hand. "Forget it. I'm going home."

"Fine," Dak snapped in reply as she turned and started walking away. "Just run away. You've always been good at that."

He let out a growl of frustration, kicking at the ground before turning around, making his way to the parking lot to get into his car. He drove through the busy streets of LA, making his way to a residential area until he got to WayneWayne's house.

"Hey, man," WayneWayne said, blinking in surprise once he opened the front door. "Date over already?"

"Yep," Dak replied shortly, moving into the Dooley household, kicking off his shoes, leaving them in a pile by the door. "So, how much of the game did I miss?"

He made his way into the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator door. His eyes roamed bottle after bottle, until he spotted the familiar green tinted bottle at the back. He grabbed the Heinekin out of the refrigerator, using his hand to twist the cap off. Feeling a stinging sensation on his palm, he turned his hand over and saw a small cut on the side of his thumb, blood sliding down his hand, staining his skin.

"Nothing much," WayneWayne shouted in reply, over the volume of the TV. "Luckily my sisters are out so I was actually able to _watch _the game this time."

Dak chuckled before quickly downing the beer, making a face as he swallowed. Seconds later, his face contorted with pain as his throat burned and icy sharp pain hit his head. He bent over, one hand still on the refrigerator, breathing heavily until the pain went away. He straightened, swaying on the spot for a moment before he shook his head, making his way into the living room. He dropped onto the couch, letting out a heavy sigh.

"They mobbed me today," he commented, resting his hands on his stomach. A yawn escaped his mouth, "I signed practically everybody's fucking shit that they bombarded me with." WayneWyane winced, giving his friend an apologetic look. "I must've signed about three hundred different things. Some things I even signed twice because their owners somehow worked their way back into the mob. My hand hurt so bad from signing so many things, I could barely use it to drive." He cradled his aching wrist, which just emphasized his point. "It sucked."

"I bet," WayneWayne sighed, not really wanting to imagine what his friend must've gone through. Not that he could either. WayneWayne was more famous with moms as he woked on a kid's show. And he wasn't as famous as Dak Zevon, so he didn't get stopped in the street as much. If you asked him, he'd consider himself semi-famous; his name was out there, but he wasn't as famous where he could go down the street without being mobbed. "So how'd Rhubes take it?"

"How doyou think?" Dak shot back, narrowing his eyes, swallowing thickly. WayneWayne gave him a confused look. "Shew blew up. Couldn't even tellher about N2N."

"Dude, you look awful," WayneWayne pointed out. Dak burped in reply and WayneWayne made a face, waving his hand in the air. "You look utterly horrible!"

"Thanksman," Dak hummed, sliding so far down the couch, his chin was resting on his chest.

"Dude, you didn't drink again, did you?" WayneWayne asked, running a hand over his face. "I knew you were acting funny at The Grove but you said you weren't going to do it again. You hated the taste. Not to mention you can barely hold your alcohol."

"S'not so bad onceyou get used to it," Dak replied, his lips twitching into a little bit of a smile. "It's prettygood, actually."

"Rhubes will freak once she finds out," WayneWyane commented with a shake of his head. "And she will find out. They've been around alcohol their whole lives. If she doesn't know, Sydney definitely does."

"Not my problem," Dak muttered, briefly closing his eyes. He then suddenly sat up, put his head between his knees and threw up. "But that is."


	19. Hot and Cold

**~Hot and Cold~**

* * *

><p>"I thought you were hanging out with your girlfriend, tonight."<p>

Dak made a face before turning up the volume of the TV to drown out Lizzie's voice. He didn't have to look over at her to know that she was smiling smugly at him.

"A: she's not my girlfriend, not officially anyway, and B: wipe that look off your face before I do it for you," he muttered.

"Touchy, touchy," Lizzie commented. Dak made a noise of protest when she grabbed the remote, muting the TV. "What's the matter, bro? I've never seen you this mad before."

"Nothing," Dak replied, reaching for the remote. Lizzie pulled it out of his reach, quirking an eyebrow. "Don't worry about it."

Lizzie let out a huff of annoyance. "I know you and Rhubes got into a fight," she commented and Dak's eyes narrowed. "Katie told me."

"Figures," Dak all but snapped. "Which means, Rhuben told her siblings, and one of them told Katie. None of you can keep a secret." He let out a heavy sigh, running his fingers through his hair.

"Like how you didn't tell me that you started drinking beer?" Lizzie asked. Dak stayed silent, but stared at his sister. "WayneWayne told me. He, also, can't keep a secret. But, I can see why on this one. Have you lost your mind?"

"What's the problem with drinking alcohol every now and then?" Dak asked defensively, crossing his arms over his chest. "A lot of people my age do it."

"Yeah, but I never thought _you'd_ be a part of it," Lizzi replied, shaking her head. "You really scared me last night." Dak gave her a confused look and she sighed. "I saw WayneWayne bring you home. You looked so bad, it scared me."

"Do mom and dad-?"

"No, I told them that you got food poisoning," Lizzie replied, shaking her head. "You were throwing up a lot. How much did you drink?"

"I don't know," Dak replied with a groan. "Three bottles?"

"And WayneWayne didn't try and stop you?" Lizzie asked, her eyes widening in alarm.

Dak scrunched his face in thought. He couldn't remember anything that happened after he first threw up. He remembered everything before hand, but woke up in his bed, his head pounding, feeling achy as if he had the flu. He could barely get out of bed and every slight sound would make his head pound. Even worse, every flash of light would make his eyes water and he'd stumble around, trying to see.

"What did you guys fight about?" Lizzie asked, moving to sit on the couch next to him.

"I don't even know," Dak replied with a shake of his head. "One minute, we were having a good time, and the next, I was surrounded by fans. And then we just started yelling at each other." He swallowed thickly, making a face at the taste in his mouth. "She said she had to tell me something. I think it was important."

Lizzie suddenly looked away from him, chewing on her bottom lip. Dak turned off the TV and peered at her. "What is it?" Lizzie didn't reply, she just started to twist her hair around her finger. "Elizabeth Zevon; you tell me what's bothering you right now."

"You can't tell Kendall or James or any of them. Only Logan, Katie, and I know," Lizzie said in a warning tone. She had lowered his voice and leaned forward, giving Dak a look that meant she was serious. Dak frowned, sitting up in his seat, crossing his legs underneath him. "You can't tell Mrs. Knight, or mom or dad, and especially not Ronan."

"Ok," Dak replied, nodding slowly.

"I mean it, Dak, it's really important," Lizzie reiterated. "Swear to me."

"Oh my god, Liz," Dak commented. "Is it about you? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, but no, it's not about me," Lizzie replied slowly.

"The…the McGuires?" Dal slowly asked. Lizzie nodded looking torn between whether or not she really was going to tell her brother what was wrong. "What is it?"

"They've been seeing Robert while he's been in rehab," Lizzie slowly replied, practically spitting out the words through clenched teeth. She watched her brother's face slowly turn from a blank look to a shock, fear, anger, and then worry. "I know."

"But…they can't!" Dak stammered, jumping to his feet, starting to pace. "He could do something. He could hurt them. Why are they doing it?" He paused for a moment, clenching his hands into fists before he let out a breath of air, his shoulders dropping. "Damn it, why didn't she tell me?"

"They want answers," Lizzie replied simply. "They want to know why he did that to them."

"That's stupid!" Dak cried. "That bastard didn't even give an explanation in court."

"Look, Dak, it may be stupid to us, but I really don't think they're actually going to get any form of closure on that part of their life until they actually get the answers they want," Lizzie replied, suddenly looking tired.

Dak glanced at her and suddenly realized how much she had to have grown up throughout the whole ordeal with Robert Jackson. He always took the time to protect her, to look out for her when his parents weren't around. He never actually realized that she wasn't a kid anymore, no matter how much he wanted to protect her.

He let out a breath of air when Lizzie added, "I've been wanting to tell you that for a while. It's why they've been acting so weird lately."

"That must be where they were when Ronan called looking for them," Dak replied, snapping his fingers. "When they said that they went to the mall to look for his birthday present." He ran his hands over his face. "Why didn't I notice something was wrong?"

"Because you love Rhubes, but everyone knows that," Lizzie replied, waving her hand in the air. Dak rolled his eyes. "You don't want anything bad to happen to her. That explains why you've been so out of it lately. Do you drink to cope with your frustrations over her?" Dak shifted n his seat when she gave him a knowing look.

"I just…what if he does something?" Dak asked in a quiet voice.

"They say that he's changed," Lizzie replied, barely believing the words that came out of her mouth. "They say he's nicer now and he's apologized for what he's done." She started twisting her hair around her finger again. "I'm just scared that he wants back in their life."

"It'd only be for money no doubt," Dak spat.

Lizzie shrugged and started to chew on her thumbnail. "I think they see him around the city." Dak clicked his tongue and knocked her hand away from her mouth. "I just…I have a bad feeling about it. I mean, they're clearly not over what happened. I don't think they truly will be." She gave him a curious look. "Is that what she wanted to talk to you about?"

"I don't know." Dak shook his head, suddenly looking angry again. "It's a stupid idea," he muttered, setting his jaw. "They don't get that they're just going to get hurt. They're not going to get the answers they want."

"Look, bro," Lizzie placed a hand on his knee. "I understand that you're worried. But, don't you think right now she needs someone that will listen to her even if she knows her idea is stupid?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "I mean, Patrick and Noah do dumb things all the time—well, mainly it's Patrick—but I don't go off on them unless I really need to."

"And you don't think I needed to?" Dak asked, his eyes narrowing. "That guy is dangerous, Liz. If he hurt them once, he can hurt them again." He let out a curse, shaking his head. "I should tell Ronan. I _am_ going to tell Ronan."

"No, you're not," Lizzie replied, shaking her head. Dak scowled at her and reached for the phone lying on the table. But, Lizzie was faster and she scooped it up before he could lay his hands on it. "You're not telling him."

"Give me the phone, Liz," Dak said, reaching out his hand for the phone.

"Dak, if she's mad now, imagine how mad she'll be if she finds out you told Ronan," Lizzie said with an eye roll. "For someone so smart, you're really stupid sometimes. Rhubes—hell, all of them would flip their lid if they found out. You think Riley makes snarky comments about you now—save for the fact that they're jokes—she'd really rip into you. Rhubes wouldn't trust you, Patrick and Noah wouldn't talk to you, and well, you never know with Sydney." Dak chewed on his bottom lip. "Just trust them, D. Like Have faith that nothing bad will happen."

As soon as she said that, the doorbell rang. A feeling of dread suddenly washed over Dak as he exchanged glances with Lizzie. He pulled himself up off the couch and made his way into the foyer, Lizzie following right behind him. As the doorbell rang a second time, he twisted the door knob and pulled the door open, blinking when he saw Rhuben standing on the stairs.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, half out of shock and half out of anger.

"Uh," Rhuben glanced around the yard. "I don't really know, actually." She gave Lizzie a brief smile. Lizzie's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked the older girl over.

"Your cheek," she pointed out, noticing that the raven haired girl wasn't looking directly at them.

Lizzie had spotted a bright pink mark on part of Rhuben's partially concealed face. Rhuben let out a heavy sigh, dropping her gaze to the floor before turning her head to the side. Dak's eyes widened and Lizzie let out an audible gasp when they saw how pink the skin was. There was also a slightly dark reddish, purple marking in the center of her cheek as well. The area around her left eye looked bright pink as well.

"I'll get the first aid kit." Her footsteps pounded against the hard floor as she rushed off.

"What happened?" Dak asked in a low voice. He was silent for a moment and then added, somewhat bitterly. "Does Logan know?"

Rhuben flinched. "I-I shouldn't have come," Rhuben stammered, stepping backwards. "Sorry to have disturbed you guys. I don't know why I'm here."

"Bella, stop," Dak hurried forward, grabbing her arm. She slowly turned back to face him and he swallowed thickly, reaching out a hand to lightly touch her hurt cheek. "Did he do this to you? Robert?" Rhuben slowly nodded, tears sliding down her cheeks. Dak's shoulders slumped. "Aw, Bells."

"It was stupid." Rhuben burst out into tears. "I don't know why I wanted to go so bad. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Come in," Dak said, gently pulling her into the house. He closed the door behind him and placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her into the kitchen. Lizzie joined them at the table, placing a blue basket down onto the table sorting through it.

"I'll just put some disinfectant on it," Lizzie said, glancing at the spot on Rhuben's cheek again. "Other than that, I think you just need some ice."

"And some pain killers," Rhuben commented, trying not to move her mouth so much.

"Tell me what happened," Dak said, immediately cutting to the chase. "I know that you've been visiting Robert in rehab."

"And I know that you've started to drink," Rhuben replied, fixing him with a stare out of the side corner of her eyes as Lizzie started to work on the mark on her cheek. She winced, letting out a loud curse when Lizzie placed the damp, alcohol soaked cloth to he cheek.

"Sorry," Lizzie said with a frown, jumping at the sudden shout. She reached into the basket for a packet of tissues and handed it to her. Rhuben took it with shaky hands and dabbed at her eyes. Lizzie's eyes immediately went to the spots of blood on her knuckles. "What happened?"

"What do you think?" Rhuben snapped through clenched teeth.

"Robert's a jerk," Dak said with a shake of his head. "I can't believe you were stupid enough to go and visit him. How long have you been doing it?"

"Forgive me for being the type to give people second chances," Rhuben snapped back, gently pushing Lizzie's hand away. She cupped her stinging cheek and spoke out of the side of her mouth, flinching every now and then. "Which is what I came over here to do; to give you a chance to explain about you drinking beer."

"Honestly, I don't see what that has to do with you at all," Dak shot back, slapping the table in annoyance "I'm getting sick and tired of hearing you constantly go on and on about your abuse." He let out a noise of frustration. "In fact, we all are. We can't all be like precious Logan and accept that this takes a while."

"What the hell does Logan have to—" Rhuben trailed off, glancing over at Lizzie who was trying to sneak out of the room.

It was no secret that sine they met, Logan and Dak had tried to get along with each other but would constantly, subtly, fight for Rhuben's attention at the same time trying to one-up each other. Despite having taken longer to be best friends with Logan again, and it only taking a short amount of time to be friends with Dak, it bothered Dak from time to time that he could easily call Logan her best friend. It also must've bothered him that Logan knew about Robert before him.

"Sorry," Lizzie muttered before hurrying out.

"I went to see how Hi-Hat was doing with their choreography one day while you were busy," Rhuben explained in a low voice. "I didn't even plan on telling him; it just slipped out. He could tell something was wrong."

"And you couldn't trust me with this?" Dak asked, just as quiet.

"I didn't know when the best time to tell you was, in between trying to figure out my feelings for you and you shoving me in your parents faces," Rhuben shot back, tilting her head to the side. Dak pressed his lips together, staying silent. "Believe it or not, I'm not stupid; I would've found out about your drinking eventually. I just figured out earlier because of my siblings."

"Of course," Dak said with a snort.

"You wouldn't understand, Dak," Rhuben said with a shake of her head. "And I'm getting tired of trying to make you understand. I don't even like looking at a beer bottle; I don't like thinking how it could change people." She paused to take in a deep breath of air. She looked like she was about to start crying, but she blinked rapidly and it went away. "Robert was fine at first; he was actually nice, up until we started getting money for him. That's all he wanted; money, notoriety, and to prove to his parents that he could be somebody."

"Drinking helps me cope with things," Dak muttered, shaking his head. "It helps me mellow out and calm down. It helps time slow so I can actually think about how to handle situations."

"If it's something I've learned over the years, you don't think when you drink and you don't think when you're buzzed, or drunk for that matter," Rhuben replied. She then got to her feet. "I don't want to argue with you. I _hate _arguing with you. You're my friend, we've gotten through so many things. It's just hard because I can't…I don't want to talk to Ronan about this stuff."

"Why not?" Dak asked, his voice cracking.

"I don't want to disappoint him," Rhuben muttered, bowing her head. "None of us do. If he found out what Robert's been doing…you know he'd get mad. I don't want to see him in jail or plastered all over the news." She shook her head. "We don't want our fans to find out this way."

Dak pressed his lips together. "Um, I guess you've seen the news blogs lately? About our fight?" he asked, quietly. "Bella, you know I never want you to jeopardize your image or your career. And I'm sorry about everything. I'm just…I didn't think dating you would be so hard."

"You knew that I came with baggage," Rhuben muttered. "But, that's not an excuse. I didn't think seeing Robert would be like this. I honestly thought he had change."

"I don't think he ever will," Dak replied, reaching out a hand to remover hers from her cheek. He gently brushed his fingers over the red mark on her cheek. "Thankfully, he didn't do anything worse." He then leaned forward and gave her a kiss. And then he kissed her again and again and again. "I didn't think things would be so hard between us."

"Me neither," Rhuben replied with a sigh. "You said you wanted to tell me something the other day; and that it was important."

Dak chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "Let's start over," he said, offering a small smile. "Clean slate; everything's fine. I love you, Bella and knowing that Robert has continued to hurt you makes me feel like I can't do anything to protect you. You know that's all I want." Rhuben gave him an odd look. "What?"

"You called me Bella," she commented.

"Yeah," Dak replied. "Why?"

"Just…nothing," Rhuben replied with a small smile. "I like it."

"And I like you," Dak replied and Rhuben rolled her eyes.

"That was really cheesy," she commented. There was a moment of silence and she added, "You're lucky I like cheese." Dak grinned before leaning forward to give her another kiss. "I like you, too."

She sighed, giving him a worried look. "I hate lying to my fans, but they're really starting to ask about us; unfortunately there are also those that think I'm such a diva that I don't give out autographs." Dak cringed. "Do you think we should…take a break? Wait until this blows over?"

Dak didn't reply; he just leaned forward and gave her another, long, kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it took me a while to update, but here's the next chapter! You'll see more of Ronan, Gustavo, Kelly, Kacy, Lizzie, WayneWayne, Riley, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney in the next chapter.<strong>

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	20. These Thoughts Won't Go Away

**~These Thoughts Won't Go Away~**

* * *

><p>"I just don't know what happened," Ronan commented as he set down his steaming cup of coffee. "They've just stopped talking to me, they're staying out later—"<p>

"They're teenagers, McGuire," Gustavo pointed out, slowly pronouncing each word. "They're like the dogs, of course they're going to rebel against you."

"I have to admit, it _is_ weird for them to do something like that," Kelly commented, rubbing her chin before reaching for her scone. "I've always admired your relationship with your kids, Ronan. They've never been afraid to tell you what's on their mind."

Ronan silently nodded before looking over at Kacy, who seemed to be lost in thought. "What do you think?"

"I think you should just talk to them about it," Kacy commented. "I understand how much this is hurting you, but keeping it inside won't help you at all." She brushed her auburn hair out of her face and added, "Do you know when this started happening?"

"I've just been noticing little things, but it really blew up in my face, so to speak, when Rhuben didn't want to tell me what had happened at Dak's place," Ronan replied, closing his eyes as he thought about it. "I didn't find out until later when Noah told me, but I knew she was really upset."

"She _is_ a teenage girl, Ronan," Kacy pointed out, giving him a patient smile. "There are bound to be some things that both she and Riley don't tell you." An annoyed look crossed Ronan's face and she rushed on, her voice tight, but still calm. "Yes, I know, they tell you everything, but you can't expect them to _always_ tell you right off the bat. And you have every right for it to upset you, but—" she trailed off, chewing her bottom lip, trying to decide whether or not she wanted to finish her sentence. She let out a heavy sigh. "But, I don't think you're any better than Robert when you subconsciously command them to tell you the truth whenever you want it."

Ronan blinked, feeling his annoyance spike, instantly. All he had to do was hear Robert's name and he got mad. It scared him sometimes; he wouldn't realize how mad he got until he noticed his jaw was hurting because of how hard he clenched his teeth, or his hand fell asleep with how hard he had his hands curled into fists.

He never thought of himself as an angry person, but he wanted so badly to help his kids move past their abuse, that he never really noticed how significantly invested he was in it, until the smallest thing set him off. He was known to be a well liked person, never getting mad at anyone, but everybody had their vices. He knew that Kacy was just trying to help him out, and he did appreciate it whether it looked like it or not.

"They're just like the dogs, McGuire," Gustavo commented, resting his arms on the table picking at his napkin. "Unless you tell them flat out what you want, they'll walk all over you."

"Even so, you can barely stop the boys from 'making plans' and making things go wrong before they go right," Kelly said with a roll of her eyes.

"Same to you, sister," Gustavo shot back before letting out a loud "HA" as if he had just proven her wrong about something. Kelly just shook her head.

"Ronan, this is a tough time for them, just take it one step at a time," Kelly offered. "After seeing all those news articles and stuff about them, they probably just want some space to figure out how to deal with it."

"Yeah, I mean, it must really be hurting Rhuben to know that people are thinking she's a diva because she turned down autographs," Kacy commented with a shake of her head. "As well as the rumors that are still going around about her and Dak dating, and from what I've been seeing, she's been getting a lot of hate on the social media sites because they see her with Dak."

"It's something they've all had to deal with at one point or another," Ronan commented, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "But, it's really been coming to a head lately. It's something really emotionally and physically draining for them. I've considered on numerous occasions to hire a PR, but they've always taken pride in dealing with situations themselves."

Silence fell over the table as the four adults let his last words sink in. Rona's kids did indeed pride themselves on dealing with their own problems; the most obvious to everyone being their abuse with Robert and how long they had managed to hide it for so long.

But, Ronan, Kelly, Kacy, and Gustavo were witnesses to see their breakdown, watching their lies unravel and becoming more and more paranoid about everything and anything someone said to them. That whole time, they refused to get help, up until the moment where it had really became impossible not to tell anybody what was happening with them and to them.

"If I find out that bastard has something to do with this, I swear—"

"Now, don't jump to conclusions, Ronan," Kacy said, reaching out a hand to give his hand a soft squeeze. "I understand you're upset about Robert even wanting to look at them, but—"

"Robert is a scum sucking, son of a bitch, that doesn't care that he walks all over people to get his way," Gustavo interrupted her, slamming his fist down onto the table. "He wants something out of them, I just know it. There has to be a reason why he accepted the plea bargain deal so quickly." He then fixed Roan with a warning look. "Don't forget, the fact that we didn't report out suspicions to the police, makes us at fault as well. We need to keep _our _reputations clean as well, so I'm warning you now, McGuire, don't do anything you'll regret later."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ronan muttered before lifting his cup of coffee to his mouth, quickly downing the rest of it, practically slamming it down onto the table.

* * *

><p>Lizzie practically ripped the front door of its hinges when the doorbell rang. She grabbed the front of WayneWayne's shirt and roughly pulled him inside, slamming the door behind him before he could even get a word out of his mouth. "Finally, you're here," she said breathlessly before pushing him towards the stairs. "Everyone's upstairs."<p>

"What's going on, Lizz?" WayneWayne asked, gently, yet firmly removing her hands from his body, turning to face her. "Your text seemed urgent."

"I'll explain upstairs, come on," Lizzie replied before she hurried up the stairs, taking them two at a time. She showed him to her room, where Riley, Patrick, Noah, Sydney, and Katie were sitting around, computers on their laps. "Have you been to OceanUp today?"

"Something tells me I should have checked, but no," WayneWayne replied, moving to sit beside Riley on Lizzie's bed. "What's up?"

"A lot," Riley replied with a heavy sigh, pointing at her computer screen. "People have been reporting about the Dak and Rhubes had the other day." She repeatedly tapped the down arrow on her keyboard, shaking her head. "Picture after picture, speculation of what happened."

"The comments are worse," Noah spoke up, immediately getting WayneWayne's attention. He was more soft spoken then his siblings, so whenever he spoke, WayneWayne knew to give the younger boy his full attention. "Some people are saying that they're 'dating' just to raise each other's fame."

"Blind Gossip have practically been stalking the two of them as well," Katie said with a shake of her head. "They haven't really kept that a secret."

"I'm surprised they haven't figured out what happened to Robert," WayneWayne commented.

"They have, but we had to pay them, and a lot of other people, a whole lot of money to keep it quiet," Riley replied, suddenly looking tired, briefly closing her eyes. "It's harder when people on the street ask questions. I mean, it's only so long until people find out we changed our last name, and we can only tell people that Robert had a meeting or he had to travel somewhere for so long." She rotated her shoulder, making face.

"I still think you should tell Ronan what happened to you guys," Katie said, spotting the movement.

"Just drop it, Katie, it doesn't matter," Patrick muttered, not even bothering to look up from his computer screen.

"No, I'm not going to drop it!" Katie snapped, ignoring the warning look from Lizzie. "I'm sorry, but I think it's stupid that you're not telling Ronan what happened to you."

"Because it doesn't matter," Patrick replied evenly."We took a chance and Robert blew it. We're not going back."

"Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?" Katie asked, rolling her eyes. Patrick just shook his head.

"You didn't tell Mama Knight, did you?" Riley asked, turning to give Katie a curious look. The two of them were close, but Riley wouldn't hesitate to, figuratively, bit her head off if she got mad enough.

"No, I didn't," Katie replied with a shake of her head. "But, with how much you've told me Ronan is worried about you guys, I'm sure they'll figure it out soon enough." She then arched an eyebrow at her. "Shopping for his birthday? Seriously, that's the best you could come up with?"

"Shut up," Riley lazily replied.

"Where are Dak and Rhuben now?" WayneWayne asked, sensing the tension that was quickly rising in the room.

He felt bad because he was the one the suggested the Jacksons to go and see Robert, and even though he's been reassured time and time again that it wasn't his fault, he couldn't help but feel guilty about it. When Riley had shown up on his doorstep with an injured shoulder, he was relieved that nothing worse happened to them, but angry at himself for coming up with the idea.

"They're out," Lizzie replied, looking troubled, chewing on her thumbnail."Dak is finally going to tell her about Next To Normal, but I'm worried. He and mom and dad got into another argument this morning. About the press and everything; they really do think she's hindering him more than helping him."

"Dak chose not to take any offers for movies though," WayneWayne pointed out. "It's really not her fault. No offense, Liz, but your parents expect way too much of you guys."

"I know," Lizzie replied with a heavy sigh. "Don't worry about it, you're not hurting my feelings. I just don't think this is the best circumstances to tell Rhubes about it." She looked out the window when she heard a roll of thunder."I really don't."

* * *

><p>"So, what'd you want to talk to me about?" Rhuben asked, giving Dak a curious look over her cheeseburger.<p>

Dak smiled a little bit. While working on music for album after album and for concerts, Rhuben was all about eating as healthy as possible (although he was surprised at how much soda she downed in a week), so now that she was off that usual routine, he found her eating more burgers and fries. "You've been really quiet today."

"Um, well," Dak stammered, letting out a sigh. "I'm just worried about you, that's all. I was scared last night when you showed up after Robert, uh—"

"Beat me?" Rhuben asked, deadpan and Dak nodded. She let out a heavy sigh. "It's not one of my best ideas, I'll admit, but I thought it was right." She let out a short laugh. "Robert wanted to meet us because he wants us to help him break out of the rehab center." She used her hand to brush her hair out of her face and added, "I should've known he would do something like that. I'm so stupid."

"No, you're not," Dak replied with a shake of his head. "You wanted to give him another chance, that's all. If he doesn't want to change, that's his fault." He reached for a french fry off her plate, and quickly popped it into his mouth, avoiding the slap to his hand that he sure was coming. "I hate seeing you upset, so this is kinda hard for me to say."

Rhuben's eyes widened slightly. "Oh my god, you told Ronan, didn't you?" she asked. Dak watched, open mouthed as she started to panic. "You promised you wouldn't! I can't believe you."

Dak opened his mouth and closed it. He silently got out of his seat, throwing a wad of money onto the table, grabbed his coat, and made his way out of the restaurant. He stopped n the foyer to shrug into the jacket when he saw that it had started to rain while he was inside, and started across the parking lot. Rhuben made it to his side, seconds later, holding his umbrella in his hands, breathing heavily as she rushed to catch up with him.

"What?" Rhuben asked, when she saw the annoyed look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"_You_," Dak commented, setting his jaw, before he turned and looked at her, giving her a hard look. "Not everything is about you, Bella." She winced when he spat out her name in a hiss. "But, you always make it that way." He shook his head. "I think we need a break." Rhuben stayed silent, watching him. "To really figured out why we want to be together, because right now, I can't do this. I can't handle you always bringing everything back to yourself and worrying so much about what you do. I'm tired of having to hear that every decision you make is because of your abuse. I get it, it sucks. It really does, but I'm sick and tired of it. We need to take a break."

"What?" Rhuben repeated, her shoulders slumping, the umbrella she was carrying tilting at an odd angle. "Dak, I—I don't…I don't believe that."

"It's what you wanted, wasn't it?" Dak replied shortly. "I think it's what's best. I'm done."

"…Done with what?" Rhuben asked, trying to look strong, but failing as her chin started to quiver. "Just let me explain. I'm, sorry, ok? It's just everything's been so crazy lately and I don't know how—"

"I've always dreamed about going out with you," Dak replied, slowly shaking his head back and forth. "And I've always dreamed of being in Next To Normal." Rhuben blinked in confusion. "I got offered a spot in this year's traveling group, but I didn't want to take it because I wanted to be here with you; to help you out with everything. But, now I want to go."

Rhuben's eyes widened slightly, "Why didn't you tell me? You know I would've supported you. You know—"

"Probably because this level of news obviously doesn't compare to anything that goes on in your life," Dak replied with a short laugh, rolling his eyes. "I've always known that you were out of my league, but I didn't stop trying because my feelings were that strong for you."

"A-and now?" Rhuben asked, her lips quivering. Just a few moments ago, he was on the other end of her sharp tongue, something seemed so trivial and stupid now. She always hated being yelled at, but it felt even worse being yelled at by someone she cared so much about.

Dak seemed to swell up as he sucked in a deep breath before finally letting it out, briefly closing his eyes. He didn't say anything for a long while. "And now I understand why everyone, for _years_, kept saying that it was never going to happen. You're too self absorbed, Bella. You're _way_ out of my league."

"Dak, don't say that," Rhuben commented, her voice quivering. She swallowed thickly. "I've only tried to protect your career and mine and—"

"No," Dak cut her off. "You've done nothing but drag me down ever since I fucking _fell_ for you. I've pushed away _so many_ great opportunities for you and you only care about yourself." Rhuben flinched slightly. "I've lost myself."

"Dak, that's not true—"

"Honestly, it's ruined my focus," Dak interrupted her again. "Seriously. It's obviously why I haven't been landing all the great roles my parents got me auditions for. I've been distracted…by you." He knew he was being a jerk, and it really hurt him to know that his words were hurting her, but he couldn't stop talking. It was the truth and he had to let it out. He needed to get away from it all.

"H-how can you blame this on me?" Rhuben asked quietly, searching his eyes for answers. "You know I want nothing but success for you. You _know_ you have my support."

"Do I?" Dak asked, throwing his arms into the air. "I had my life together before I met you, Bella. Now, I don't even know who I am. Dak Zevon, the teen icon. I haven't lived up to the name with the downhill slide of roles lately." Rhuben bowed her head, licking her lips before she looked back up at him. "I never thought about drinking until I started going out with you and now I can't stop. Guess what? My parents were right about you." With that, he turned and started walking away. He turned his head and added over his shoulder, "By the way, I never told Ronan."

"Dak," Rhuben called after him. Her heart caught in her throat when he turned around at the sound of his name and walked back to her. She blinked when Dak took the umbrella out of her hands, holding it over his head as he quickly made his way to his truck. She stood in the rain, watching him for a moment, getting soaked in a matter of seconds before she hurried after him. "Dak, wait up! DAK!"

She splashed through the puddles as she hurried after him, continuously calling his name, but he wouldn't slow down. She reached the passenger side of his car, just as he turned the ignition and peeled out of the parking spot, splashing her with a wave of rain water as he sped off. As she used her now soaking shirt to get the water off her face, she heard the distinct sound of a camera shutter.

* * *

><p><strong>Last scene based off of the TV show Make it Or Break It. <strong>

**Eh, I didn't really like how this turned out, but here's the next chapter. I knew I wanted them to get into an argument, and I had this planned out for a while, but I couldn't get it to come out the way I wanted it to. Hope you guys like this anyway.**

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	21. Nothing That I Can Do To Make You Change

**~Nothing That I Can Do To Make You Change Your Mind~**

* * *

><p>WayneWayne frowned as he watched Rhuben pull a blanket tighter around her body, shivering and sniffing. He felt terrible about what had happened to her. He understood the stress of everything surrounding both of his friends, and had even wondered if being at a relationship at this point was a good idea of either of them, but like usual, he didn't speak up.<p>

WayneWayne was normally seen as outgoing and fun when hanging around his friends, but he could also be shy and think about what he wanted to say carefully before deciding whether or not he actually wanted to say it. In this case, he was kicking himself, hoping he had said something a while ago. He knew that both Dak and Rhuben would eventually get together, and he thought they would make a great couple once everything worked out, but he didn't even try and tell them that he didn't think it was a good time.

With Dak's parents being, well, who they are, and with WayneWayne knowing that the Jacksons were secretly seeing Robert, and noticing how much that was changing them, he wanted to tell them that what they were doing wasn't the best time for it. But, with how he hated his sisters jumping into his love life, he always felt conflicted when it came to doing the same to his friends. He wanted to help, but he didn't want to be a hypocrite. After seeing how miserable Rhuben looked, he felt horrible about the whole thing.

"Do you want some apple cider or something?" WayneWayne asked, rubbing his hands together before jerking his thumb over his shoulder, towards the kitchen. "We have plenty. Or do you want something hot to eat?"

"I'm not hungry," Rhuben muttered, briefly closing her eyes.

"Are you sure?" WayneWayne pressed. "Do you want me to get you something? It's really ok, no one will mind."

"No, that's ok." Rhuben slowly shook her head back and forth, pulling the blanket closer around her. She pulled her knees to her chest, trying to get as much as herself under the blanket. She let out a loud sniff before rubbing at her eyes.

WayneWayne didn't know if she was upset or if she was getting sick. He was pissed at Dak for doing what he did, but his friend wouldn't answer his phone. He immediately hurried to the plaza after Rhuben had called him, and she asked him not to tell her family or to take her home until she asked, and he wasn't about to be a jerk to leave her there as he went to talk to Dak by himself.

"I'm fine."

"If you're sure," WayneWayne replied, unsure of whether or not he should actually go and get her something anyway. "Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine," Rhuben snapped, glaring at him.

He knew he was driving her crazy, but couldn't help it. He hated seeing his friend so upset. He didn't know if she was mad at Dak or if she was sad about everything. He was confused as well. He knew that she was the first one to bring up them taking some time away from each other, and then when Dak decided it was over, she was devastated. He wanted to ask, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up.

"I'm getting you something to eat," WayneWayne offered, getting tired of the silence. Rhuben opened her mouth to protest, but WayneWayne put up his hand. "I'm not leaving you alone until you eat something. He then crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't care how long it takes, either."

"I _told _you, I'm not hungry," Rhuben replied, tilting her head back to stare up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, yeah," WayneWayne replied, rolling his eyes. He took two steps towards the kitchen, but stopped walking. "Remember when you met me, after everything with Big Time Rush went down, and you and Riley were the first to believe me when I said I had changed?"

"Yeah, why?" Rhuben asked, a confused look on her face.

"I always told you I'd make it up to you for doing that for me," WayneWayne replied, running his fingers through his hair. "And this is how I'm going to repay you. I won't tell Ronan what happened, I won't take you home, and I won't tell Logan or any of them what happened if you don't want me to. But, at least let me get you something to eat or drink."

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Rhuben suddenly snapped, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I'm the one that wanted the break to begin with, and now that it's actually happened I'm a wreck."

"I don't…I don't think you ever really realized how much you liked Dak until now," WayneWayne said, moving to sit down on the arm of a chair, facing her. "And I know you hate being yelled at." He was silent for a moment and then he added, "From what he told me, that was a pretty one-sided argument."

"He wouldn't give me a chance to explain," Rhuben muttered, hastily wiping at her eyes. WayneWayne was right, she _did _hate being yelled at. But behind the anger Dak held in his eyes, Rhuben had also saw sadness, and it suddenly hit her; he was truly giving up on her.

For the longest time, she had never seen him actually look so worried, especially about her. Even though she'd known Dak for a good time now, he was still a mystery to her. Of course she saw him a lot since he was the one that helped her and her brothers and sister make it big in America, he was also helping Big Time Rush, not to mention one of her first friends in America, and he was always around.

But she'd never been particularly close to him; or at least she never admitted to herself that he was. He'd just been…_there_. But, now she felt attracted to him, but he was giving up. Never, in her wildest dreams, had she imagined that Dak Zevon could be the one to make her feel better when everyone else failed. And if it was something that she hated more than being yelled at, was being given up on.

"So, is he actually going to New York?" Rhuben asked, suddenly pushing the blanket off of her. She twisted her hair in her hands, trying to get the water to drip out.

"I can only assume so," WayneWayne replied, briefly chewing on his bottom lip. "He sounded serious about it, right?" Rhuben stopped what she was doing and gave him a hard stare. He cracked. "Yes; he's actually going."

"And you would know where in New York he's staying, right?" Rhuben asked. WayneWayne had no idea where she was going with it, but silently nodded. "Well? Are you going to tell me or what?"

"Uh…why?" WayneWayne asked and Rhuben silently looked at him as if asking, "Are you stupid?" And then he suddenly got it. His eyes widened and he shook his head. "No. No way! I'm not letting you fly all the way out to New York to give Dak a piece of your mind."

"You're not '_letting_' me do anything," Rhuben replied, using air quotes around the word. "I didn't ask you permission to go. I'm just going." She frowned, pulling her soaking wet clothes away from her face. "I don't care what the paparazzi say, I don't care what the gossip sites say, I don't care about MyFace posts, or what people say on Scuttlebug. All these years Dak has never stopped chasing after me. I figured at some point I'd have to chase after him, so why not start now?"

"I don't think you're going about this the right way," WayneWayne protested as Rhuben marched over t over to the front closet, grabbing his damp coat, throwing it at him. He caught it in the air, wincing when the zipper nearly hit him in the eye. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Some would argue that I didn't really have one to begin with," Rhuben pointed out, sliding on her shoes. "Not to mention I barely think before I do anything so….no."

"I really don't think this is a good idea," WayneWayne said as he shrugged into his coat. He wasn't going to let his friend walk all the way back to over to her place in the rain by herself.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion," Rhuben shot back and WayneWayne let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping.

"Alright, alright, I get it," WayneWayne replied. "So, what do you want me to? Drop you off at the airport?"

"No, I need to pack first, and find a place to stay while I'm there," Rhuben replied with a shake of her head. "And, I need to check on Lizzie to see how she's doing."

"What are you going to tell Ronan?" WayneWayne asked. "You know he's going to notice that you're not at home."

"Figure there's no point in lying about this one," Rhuben replied, pulling her hair free from the collar of her shirt. "Dad's name is linked to my bank account so he could see the instant I use any money. I'm just hoping I'm already out of the state when he flies off the handle." She then looked WayneWayne in the eye. "When Ronan gets mad, he get s mad. And he hates it when we lie to him, which is why we make it a point not to."

"I'm not entirely happy about this, but I'll keep it quiet as long as I can," WayneWayne said with a heavy sigh. "You're at least going to tell Riles and them?"

"Of course I am," Rhuben replied as she opened the front door, glancing out at the pouring rain. "You know Syd and No are worriers." She pulled her hood up over her head before turning towards WayneWayne, giving him a tight hug. "Thanks, Wally."

WayneWayne grit his teeth, instantly annoyed at being referred to by his first name, but he sighed, letting the tension go, hugging her back. "No problem." Rhuben then suddenly pulled away, turning her head to let out a loud sneeze. "Come on, there are tissues in the car."

WayneWayne muttered to himself, rubbing his forehead as he walked in the rain to his car. He knew that there'd be no way he could talk her out of the plan, and only hoped that things went smoothly and she came home more put together then how she planned on leaving.

The drive to Rhuben's place was silent except for the sound of the windshield wipers sliding back and forth across the wfront window, and the turn signal whenever it was needed. As he dropped her off at her house, WayneWayne felt his stomach twist in knots. He just knew something was going to go wrong, but, as usual, he kept quiet.

* * *

><p>When Rhuben told her siblings about her plan to go to New York to talk to Dak, the response ranged from complete shock (Riley), to being on the fence about the idea (Patrick), to being realistic about the whole thing (of course, Sydney), to just staying silent (Noah). They all felt bad about what had happened between Rhuben and Dak, and was currently avoiding any emails, phone calls, and anything on the internet.<p>

They had to go as far as turning off their home phone to stop it from ringing ("Why did we say we didn't want a publicist again?" Patrick asked, practically ripping the chord out of the wall. "Because we said we'd handle whatever problem we get into," Riley replied deadpan.).

"Ronan will find out because, like you said, his name is attached to your bank account," Riley said, rubbing her chin as she pushed herself back and forth in the swivel chair she sat in, "but, I think you should—" she suddenly stopped, looking around. "Where _is_ Ronan."

Sydney shrugged. "He wasn't here when I got up this morning."

"He wasn't here when _I _got up this morning," Patrick added. He was always the last one up, sleeping in as long as he possibly could; which was mainly until Ronan went in to wake him up.

"I don't think he was home last night," Noah suddenly spoke up. He was leaning back in his seat on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. He was using one hand to twist the gold stud in his ear. He brushed his hair out of his face as he leaned forward. "I mean, he wasn't here when we went to sleep. I don't remember him coming in."

"Me neither," Rhuben slowly replied before she let out a loud sneeze. She wiped at her nose with her arm, making a face when she saw the shiny streak left behind. "Maybe he's just out with Mama Knight or with Gustavo and Kelly."

"Let's call her," Riley offered, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She jabbed her thumb into the face of her phone, speed dialing Mrs. Knight. As it rang, she swiped her thumb across the face of her phone, setting it to speaker.

"_Hello_?"

"Hey, Mama Knight, it's us," Riley said, holding her phone flat in her hand, using her free hand to twist the loose strands of her pigtail around her finger. "We haven't seen or heard from Ronan for a while. We were just wondering if he was with you or Gustavo and Kelly?"

"_Uh, no sorry. He's not here. I haven't seen him since earlier at the coffee shop._"

"We don't think he came home last night," Patrick explained, snatching the phone out of Riley's hand, despite her screech of protest. "We haven't seen him this morning either. When did you get coffee?"

"_Earlier this afternoon. About three hours or so ago_." They could hear the worry in her voice. "_I didn't realize you didn't know where he was. Is everything ok_?"

"We don't know," Sydney said, grabbing the phone next. "He won't answer his phone. Did you guys get in an argument or something?"

"_When does Ronan and Gustavo _not _get into an argument_?" They could tell she was rolling her eyes. "_But, once he gets home, and I'm sure he'll be home soon, you really need to talk to him. He's worried about you guys and he really cares for you._"

"We know that Mama, it's just—"

"_No, I mean, he _really _cares for you. You should've seen him. Like just about everything lately, we got into a conversation about Robert and he practically flew off the handle. I've never seen him so upset before. He—oh god, he better not have_."

"What?" Riley asked, grabbing the phone back. "What happened, Mama Knight?"

"_I don't really know what Ronan planned to do, but I think he's gone to see Robert. I think he might've gotten himself in trouble; especially if he's not back yet._"

"What do you mean, he's gone to see Robert?" Riley asked, looking up at her siblings, seeing a look of shock fear etched on their faces. She was sure she had the same look on her face as well. She barely paid attention to what Mrs. Knight had said as Ronan unlocked the front door and stumbled into the house, leaning heavily on the door. Riley's jaw dropped at the same time she dropped her phone to the ground.

She scrambled to pick it up and said in to the phone, "He's home, gotta go" before hanging up ad hurrying into the kitchen to get the first a kit. Patrick and Noah got up and grabbed his arms, helping him over to the couch as Sydney went to get ice to put into a plastic bag as Rhuben hurried to get a clean towel.

"What happened, Ronan?" Riley asked, hurrying into the living room, sitting down on the coffee table, opening the white box, the contents practically spilling out by how cramped it was in there. "Where've you been?"

"Same place you've been," Ronan replied, taking the ice pack from Sydney, pressing it to his lip. He winced and set the bag down. "I went to see Robert. I know you guys have been seeing him behind my back."

He looked at his kids and saw them try hard not to look at each other and he knew he had his answer. He lifted his hand and brushed it across his cheek, looking over at Rhuben. Her hand immediately flew to her cheek and her shoulders slumped when she felt the cut on her cheek. "I'm so disappointed in all of you."

"Look, Ronan-"

"I'm not done," Ronan said, briefly closing his eyes, pressing his lips together, wincing as he did so. "I can't believe you'd keep something like that from me. You know I care about you guys, but this really hurt my heart to find out from that son of a bitch that he was putting his hands on you again." Noah bowed his head, clasping his hands together in his lap.

"I've asked you over and over again what was going on and you continued to lie to me. Happy fucking birthday to me. I know you went to see Robert that night you said you were 'getting me a birthday gift.' But, I didn't press any further about it; I thought you'd come to me about it." He looked at Rhuben again. "Especially with you; I had to find out the hard way what had happened with Dak and his parents on your date. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm _fine_, and I'm gonna _be_ fine, so quit worrying," Rhuben replied in an even tone.

"You don't look great," Ronan commented. "You look sick; and why are you all wet? Are you sure you're ok?"

"If I hear that question one more time," Rhuben whispered, shaking her head, setting her jaw. She gave Ronan a hard stare "What part of 'I'm fine' don't you get?"

"The 'I'm fine' part," Ronan replied, his eyes narrowing slightly, wincing as he leaned forward in his seat. He leaned out of the way of Riley who tried to press a rubbing alcohol soaked wad of tissue to his cheek. "You're lying through your teeth. You're not fine. What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Rhuben snapped. She crossed her arms over "Just leave me alone, ok?"

"Of all the stupid things you could say to me right now," Ronan snapped, quickly recovering from a look of disbelief. Rhuben got to her feet, starting to walk off. "Sit down, Rhubella."

"I don't have to listen to—"

"_I said sit down_," Ronan said, getting to his feet, pointing sternly at the spot she had just left. Sydney flinched at the sudden scream. Rhuben stood where she was for a moment before turning around, sitting back down in her seat. "Sorry. You know I hate doing anything even remotely close to how Robert did."

"We're sorry for not telling you," Sydney spoke up, his bottom lip quivering, "But, we couldn't. We knew you'd be upset but—"

"That's not even close to how I'm feeling right now," Ronan commented, leaning back into the couch, wincing as he did so. "You have no idea what I've been through today."

_Ronan made his way into the lobby, marching up to the receptionist, waiting to get a visitor's pass to the building. He barely heard whatever it was that the lady behind the desk was saying to him. His eyes scanned the lobby, looking at each person as they passed him._

_"Sir? Excuse me, sir."_

_"I'm sorry, what'd you say?" Ronan asked, blinking, running a hand over his face to look at the receptionist._

_"I said, Robert is looking forward to seeing you again," the lady replied with a smile. "We've seen his kids come through here a lot lately, but we've always wondered where you were. I know it's not any of my business, but he's been pretty down in the dumps lately and they've been cheering him up."_

_"Look, lady," Ronan said in a low voice, tightly gripping the counter in front of him. "They're not _his _kids; they're mine."_

_"Sir, I'm completely aware of the reasons why the residents are put into this facility and Robert is not any different than other patients in wanting people to come visit them. I think it'll be ok to not argue over logistics for an hour visit. If it helps him in his recovery, I don't see why we can't—"_

_"Because that bastard has scarred my kids for life," Ronan interrupted her. "I don't think you understand—"_

_"I understand that if you don't calm down, I'll call security and have you escorted from the premesis," the receptionist replied, folding her arms on the table, raising her eyebrows. Ronan was silent for a moment before muttering an apology, moving to find Robert's room. He raised a fist and pounded on the door. Seconds later Robert opened the door, merely peering at him._

_"Hey."_

_"Hey?" Ronan repeated, making his way past the older man, stepping into his room. "I find out you're beating my kids, again, and all you say when you see me is 'Hey'?"_

_"Took you long enough to figure that one out," Robert said with a snort, turning to lie down on his bed."So which one of them squealed on me?" He cupped his hands behind his head, letting out a sigh. "I need to get out of here, man. Good behavior ain't cutting it for me in here; I need someone to vouch for me."_

_"And you thought threatening them would work?" Ronan asked in disbelief. Robert slowly smiled and Ronan felt his anger quickly rise._

_"Worked all those years, didn't it?" he asked in a quiet voice before he sat up. "Figured I'd be out of here before you found out. I bet you're running all over the place, trying to make sure things don't get leaked into the news such as your daughter and her little boyfriend."_

_"What do you mean?" Ronan asked in a low voice, his hands curling into fists at his sides. _

_Robert chuckled, arching an eyebrow. "You really don't know," he said, looking at Ronan, wondering he actually wanted to tell him what he knew or not. "They've been all over the news sites and gossip blogs lately. There's a pretty decent Blind Gossip post on there that hints towards them that everyone's talking about. When did you teach 'your kids' to start using other people for their fame?"_

_"I never did, that was all you," Ronan replied, crossing his arms over his chest, stuffing his hands into his armpits. He started shifting his weight from foot to foot. He couldn't stand still. He wanted to hurt the man so badly; take out his years of frustration, anger, and sadness into the man that hurt his kids for years. _

_"Right," Robert replied, the grin back on his face. "It's amazing how much of an impression you can put on people. So, when d'you think you can get me out of here, huh?"_

_Ronan slowly shook his head. "I thought you said you had changed, Rob," he said in a low voice. "But you haven't; you keep putting up a front, and I'm tired of you baiting my kids into it. They've made all this progress and now they're heading back to the way they were before."_

_"I have changed," Robert replied holding out his hands, looking at them as if he'd never seen 'em before. "There've been urges…I couldn't help myself." He spread out his arms, motioning to all the pictures in the room. "I've punched dozens of holes in the walls when I've gotten so mad at myself for getting the urge to hit someone. I've talked to my therapist about this the whole time. This place breaks you down. You don't know what it's like to be here."_

_"And you don't know what it's like to be on the other end of your fist," Ronan replied, setting his jaw. He uncrossed his arms. "Allow me to show you." Before he could stop himself, he punched Robert across the face just as a crack of thunder hit._

"You hit him?" Noah gasped, widening his eyes slightly.

"But…he clobbered you," Patrick pointed out and Ronan gave him an annoyed look.

"If Gustavo was there with me, believe me it would've been much worse," Ronan muttered, flexing his fingers, his lips twitching. "That son of a bitch deserved it."

"Ronan," Riley spoke up, giving him an intense stare, "You're acting just like him; acting on your anger."

"If it's one thing I don't want to be known for, it's being considered I'm like that bastard," Ronan muttered, motioning for Riley to start cleaning him up. "I'm going to take a shower; and then we're all going to sit down and talk about this." He sucked in a sharp breath of air as Riley started to bandage his cheek. Tears started to slide down his face, but Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney didn't know if it was because of the medicine or not. "I didn't want to believe it, but it looks like Robert got to me, too."

Rhuben reached out her hand and placed it on top of Ronan's, giving it a gentle squeeze before she patted his hand a few times. He gave a soft smile as he returned the squeeze before simply holding her hand. She returned with a fleeting smile, knowing that she was just going to make him worry even more.


	22. New York, New York

**~New York, New York~**

* * *

><p>Rhuben turned to face the building in front of her and let out a heavy sigh, making her way up the concrete stairs. She looked around for a doorbell for a moment and jabbed her thumb into the button before she knocked on the door.<p>

There was the distinct sound of pounding footsteps quickly making their way to the front door. The lock clicked and the doorknob turned. As the door was pulled open, Dak curiously peered out, before a look of annoyance crossed his face. He rolled his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a low voice.

"I need to talk to you," Rhuben replied. Dak arched an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "Can…can I come in?" A breeze blew and Rhuben shivered, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "Dak—"

"I don't want to talk to you," Dak replied, cutting her off. She dropped her gaze to the ground. "I know I'm being a jerk, but I _really_ just don't want to talk to you. Does your dad even know you're here?"

"What difference does that make?" Rhuben asked, letting out a huff of annoyance. "I just need five minutes."

"Who's at the door, Dak?" Dak sighed when another boy came to the door. He was taller than Dak, and had sandy brown hair, slicked straight back. "This is Drew. He's in N2N with me. We share the apartment with one other guy."

"Paul," Drew said with a nod. "But, he's not here right now." He offered his hand to Rhuben, pausing for a moment, looking her over. "Hey, I know you. You're the chick that…" he trailed off, glancing back and forth between the two of them. "Oh. Do you want me to leave you guys alone?"

"No," Dak instantly reply.

"I just want to talk, it won't take long," Rhuben said, briefly closing her eyes.

"Go home, Rhuben." Dak moved to shut the door. Drew shot out his hand, stopping Dak from closing the door.

"Dude, you can't leave her out in the cold," he said in a low tone. "I don't care if you're dating her or not, or whatever your status is right now. It's not right."

"Don't worry about it," Rhuben broke in, pulling her coat tighter around her. "I'll find a place to stay. I have enough money."

"Look, sweetheart, I'd feel bad knowing I left you out in the cold," Drew said, putting up a hand. "I don't care what Dak says; we have an extra room. As late as it is, I'd feel better if you stayed here tonight."

Dak let out a heavy sigh, moving away from the door. "Whatever."

"Thanks," Rhuben muttered in reply, shouldering her backpack, making her way inside the building. Drew closed the door behind her and she immediately felt how warm the place was, sighing in content.

"I'll show you to your room," Drew offered, taking her bag from her. "Welcome to New York."

"Yeah," Rhuben replied with a short nod and a fleeting smile. "Thanks." She looked around the quiet apartment as she was lead to her room. Dak had disappeared. "I'll just…go to sleep I guess. I'm pretty tired."

"Night," Drew replied, giving her a warm smile. He stared at her for a moment before disappearing down the hall.

Rhuben closed her bedroom door shut behind her and sat down on the bed, staring at the floor for a while before changing into a tank top and shorts, climbing into bed, trying to fall asleep. She knew she should've called home to tell her family that she had made it safely, but the time difference had already caught up to her and she was exhausted.

But, she couldn't sleep. She sighed again and threw back the covers, sitting up. She swung her legs over the end of the bed, and got to her feet. She walked over to the window and pushed the curtain back; coming face to face with the bright city. She watched the cars and the people go by before slipping out the door.

* * *

><p>Dak paced around his room, hands clenched into white-knuckled fists; one of them holding a beer bottle. His head snapped up when he heard the door open. He turned towards her. She looked like she had been crying.<p>

"Why are you here?" he snapped before he could stop himself.

"I came for you, Dak." A muscle in his jaw twitched but he didn't reply. "I'm…proud of you, y'know? You always wanted to be in a Broadway show and now you're finally here."

"No thanks to you," Dak muttered, feeling his grip tighten around the bottle.

"I know," Rhuben nodded again, rubbing her hands together. "I distracted you. You were right though, it wasn't fair what I was doing; basing everything I did in my life around my abuse, using it as an excuse for everything." She reached up and brushed her hair behind her ears, taking in a deep breath. "I've been thinking about it on the plane ride over; I'm a coward."

Dak blinked, but didn't say anything. "I was too scared to tell the police about my abuse, I'm too scared to tell the public about it to really move on. But, you were there the whole time. In some twisted way, I was so used to people leaving that I needed to make you leave. So I did." She looked him in the eye and said, "Dak, I'm _so_ sorry. Riles, Pat, No, Syd, and I always promised each other we'd never hurt each other. I guess, we didn't think about emotionally; we never wanted to _physically_ hurt people. We don't want to hit people like Robert hit us."

Dak let out a biter laugh. "Hitme pretty hard," he muttered, swaying a little on the spot.

"I know," Rhuben replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Please. Please just give me one more chance."

Dak let out a loud bark of laughter and Rhuben flinched. "Jus' like you gave Robert anotherchance, huh?" He pointed at her with the beer bottle. "That wuz stupid."

"Hear me out. I hate it when you're mad at me." Dak turned and sat down on his bed, not looking at her. "You were there when I first moved here, when I was homesick, when I was worried we weren't going to make it in this business. You've been there the whole time, making sure we were going to be ok. That's why I came to see you. I don't hate you for what you did, I understand why you did it. But, I want you to understand why I've been doing and saying everything since I met you."

He began to play with a loose thread in his shirt, pulling it straight and then letting it curl upon itself again. He wrapped the thread around his finger, feeling the blood rush to the spot, turning a deep red, throbbing. He pulled hard and the thread snapped. Rhuben let out a huff of annoyance. They sat there, staring intently until Dak leaned over, cupping her cheeks in his hands, and gave her a kiss. As he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry; for humiliating you," he kissed her again, "and leaving you in the rain," he kissed her cheek, "and for yelling." He kissed her forehead. "For everything. I love you so much." He kissed her neck and she sighed, her eyes fluttering shut. "I don't want to do something you don't want to."

"I just want _you_, Dakary Zevon," Rhuben replied, blinking a few times before she placed a rough kiss to his mouth.


	23. When All is Said and Done

**~When All is Said and Done~**

* * *

><p>Dak slipped out of bed the next morning, stumbling a little bit in the dark. He made his way over to the curtains and pulled them open, recoiling when the bright sunlight bounced off the snow covered streets below. The tops of his eyes burned as he lifted a hand to shield his face from the bright light. Groaning slightly he turned and picked up his jeans from the floor, pulling them up over his legs, jumping around a little bit as he pulled them up to his waist, zipping, and buttoning them.<p>

Hearing a small moan from behind him, he grabbed his shirt off the floor before walking over to the other side of the bed, giving Rhuben a small smile. He reached out a hand and brushed her hair back from her face. "How are you feeling?"

Rhuben stirred in bed, letting out a sigh before muttering, "Crappy!" That didn't even begin to describe it. Her stomach was in knots, her mouth was dry, with a bad taste in it, and her head pounded.

Dak laughed a little bit. "Didn't know I was that bad."

"Ha ha," Rhuben groaned, squinting up at him. "You know what I mean."

Nothing had happened last night besides a lot of making out. While things _were _leaning in that particular direction, they didn't get far as Rhuben promptly started to throw up, instantly killing the mood. Not only was she what people would consider a lightweight, but chugging the beer didn't help matters either.

She sat up, gripping her forehead. "If you're always going to feel this way after you drink, why do it?" she asked out loud, more as a rhetorical question than anything else. Dak chuckled, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead.

"I'll go start breakfast," he suggested, moving to sit at her feet as he pulled his shirt on over his head. "You go take a shower and I'll get you some aspirin."

"Alright, thanks," Rhuben replied, falling back against the pillows, closing her eyes.

"You going back home today?" Dak asked, raking his fingers through his hair.

"Have to," Rhuben replied, eyes still closed. "Ronan will kill me the minue I get home, if I don't get home today. He already knows that I'm here and when I'm supposed to be back; so if I don't get home when I'm supposed to—" She trailed off, shaking her head.

"Yeah, but its Ronan," Dak pointed out. He did have a point. Ronan never really got mad at his kids.

"Trust me on this one; Ronan may be pretty laid back guy, but he can get mad," Rhuben replied, sitting up again, patting the blankets until she found her phone. She grimaced when she saw the number of messages flashing on her phone. "And he's a worry wart. I'm definitely getting it when I get home."

"What are you going to tell him?" Dak asked, getting off the bed again, stretching his arms over his head.

"With Ronan, it's best to tell him the truth about things," Rhuben said, a frown coming to her face. "I've lost his trust for sure, and there's a good chance I'll be grounded for a while, but that's ok. It's not like I'm doing anything music related for a while with BTR on tour."

"Maybe he'll let you come see me on opening night," Dak suggested, reaching out a hand to cup her cheek. He ran his thumb over her cheek before giving her a quick kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Rhuben replied, flushing. She felt weird saying it to him and was surprised at how easily she could say it, but she knew that she did have strong feelings for him and felt like it was right to say. "But, I don't think Ronan is going to be too happy that I ran off without him knowing because I love you."

"People do crazy things when they're in love," Dak replied before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "People always said I was crazy for chasing after you for years."

"You weren't crazy," Rhuben replied, shaking her head, "you just fought for what you wanted. Something I didn't know how to do."

..

.

6 hours later, Kacy watched as Ronan paced back and forth in the arriving terminal, hands clasped tightly behind his back. Riley, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney were sitting in chairs, looking around as they waited for their sister to arrive.

"Ronan, calm down," Kacy said as she tapped her fingernails against the styro foam cup of coffee in her hands. Ronan had asked for her to come along for moral support and just in case Rhuben needed her there to talk to. "You know she got on the plane and you know she'll be landing soon."

Ronan merely glanced at her, but didn't say anything as he continued to pace. He was relieved that his daughter was safe but mad at her for not telling him where he was going. He was also reeling from the fact that he had to learn from Robert what was going on with his daughter as well. He always prided himself in knowing that he and his kids talked openly about everything and anything, so it was hard for him to grasp the fact that she didn't want to be open with her problems.

He let out a sigh of relief when he spotted her through the throngs of people coming off of the airplane. Rhuben paused when she spotted him, and shifted her backpack on her shoulders before sliding her hands into her jeans pockets, making her way towards him.

"I'm so glad you're ok," Ronan said as he hurried towards her, enveloping her in a tight hug.

"I didn't mean to worry you," Rhuben muttered, hugging him back just as tightly before Sydney rushed over to give her a hug as well. "I don't know how people willingly go to New York at this time. It's too cold."

Sydney laughed as he smiled up at her, and his laughed turned into a loud giggle when she tickled him under his chin. "I missed you," he said, pressing his face into her side.

"So, who was the one that ratted me out?" Rhuben asked, giving a wave to Mrs. Knight as she made her way over to her brothers and sisters. Everyone immediately pointed at Patrick. "Figures."

"I didn't do it on purpose," Patrick said with a frown.

_Patrick stuck his tongue out of his mouth as his thumbs flew over the buttons on his Nintendo DS. He briefly glanced up when Ronan made his way into the living room._

_"Hey, bud," Ronan said, lightly tapping Patrick's foot. "Have you seen your sister?"_

_Patrick paused the game and looked up at Ronan. He looked around the room and then looked back at the older man. "What?"_

_"Have you seen your sister?" Ronan repeated._

_"She's over there," Patrick replied, going back to the game, using one hand to point into the kitchen where Riley was making cookies with Sydney and Noah._

_"Your other sister," Ronan said, briefly glancing into the kitchen._

_Patrick chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before looking up at him. He widened his eyes, trying to look as innocent as possible. "You mean…I have _two _sisters?" He tilted his head to the side. "I just thought Riley bought too much stuff in red and purple. She has a problem, that one does."_

_"I know you don't catch onto things that quickly, but even _you're _not that stupid," Ronan said, a frown coming to his face. "I haven't seen her all day and would like to talk to her. Where is she?"_

_"Not here," Patrick replied, going back to his game. Ronan made a noise of annoyance and snatched he hand held console from his son's hand. "Ronaaaan. I just got to level six."_

_"Where's Rhuben?" Ronan asked, holding the game high above his head as Patrick got to his feet, jumping to try and get it back._

_"Not here," Patrick repeated, huffing in annoyance before pouting. "I already said that."_

_"I realize that she's not _here, _here, but I'd like to know where exactly she is," Ronan said, his voice quickly gaining an edge to it. He instantly could tell something was up. He rubbed his forehead before raising his voice, talking to all of his kids. "This question goes to everybody; what're you up to?"_

_Ronan could hear Riley, or maybe Sydney, hiss the word "run" before they dropped what they were doing and took off in random directions. Patrick turned to climb over the back of the couch, but Ronan jumped forward and grabbed his ankle, stopping him from moving. Patrick let out a "oof" As the wind was knocked from his chest, half hanging over the back of the couch._

_"Now I _know _something's up," Ronan commented as Patrick pulled his foot from Ronan's grasp and turned to sit on the couch with a pout. "Where's Rhubes?"_

_"Um, you're not going to be happy with my answers," Patrick said, rubbing the back of his neck, giving a sheepish grin._

"We were all worried about you, Rhuben," Kacy said as she got out of her seat to greet the young lady. "You could've at least told _me _where you were going so I knew that you were safe and I could calm Ronan down."

"I know," Rhuben replied and that was true. Kacy, or as everyone referred to her affectionately as mama Knight, proved time and time again that she was there for them if they ever needed anything. She was the mother figure for all the kids while she looked after them in California, and everyone loved her for it. "I'm sorry."

"We can talk about this when we get home," Ronan said, pulling his car keys out of his pocket. It was clear that he was still mad, or disappointed in her, and that still made her wince. She knew that from then on, their relationship with each other had been partially severed and he wouldn't be the easy going, easy trusting, father, at last not for a while.

Rhuben looked over at Noah when he placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a warm smile before pulling her to his chest in a one-armed hug. Rhuben smiled back at him as Patrick took her backpack from her. "Dad."

Ronan stopped and turned around to face her, shock, surprise, and happiness on his face. None of them had ever called him dad until that moment. "I'm really sorry for everything." She looked at her siblings and Mrs. Knight before looking back at him. "I know I hurt your feelings when I didn' talk to you about the stuff that was going on."

"It's ok, Rhubes—"

"No, it's not," Rhuben interrupted him with a shake of his head. "I like how I can talk to you about everything, but I was scared about how you'd take hearing what Dak's parents said about me. I couldn't handle it myself. But, if it's something I've learned from all of this…I'm tired of living in fear. I know there'll be a lot of paparazzi out there, wanting to ask us questions and take pictures of stuff and everything, but I want to do this right."

"We've been texting each other before Rhubes got on the plane," Riley spoke up, taking a step forward, clasping her hands behind her back. "We're ready to tell everyone the truth; about everything. But, it doesn't start with when we met you. It started a long time ago; when Rhubes and I were nine."

"You sure?" Ronan asked, looking at each of his kids. Noah and Sydney stayed silent, giving nods in reply as Patrick let out a quiet, "Yep."

"And, we thought it'd be best if we talked to the people at TMZ about this," Riley added, brushing her pigtails behind her ears. "You know how reliable they are and everything. People will believe them." She let out a heavy sigh. "We don't care if people don't believe us or if we get backlash for it; we know it'll help us out."

"And start to look forward to our next album as well," Patrick added, putting Rhuben's backpack on one shoulder. He slid his free hand into his jeans pockets. "Start the year anew with clean slates. We're ready for it."

"And we don't care what Robert will do after that," Rhuben added. "I'm not scared of him anymore, because we know you'll be there to protect us."

"Although, I think you could benefit from martial arts classes or something," Patrick added, his upper lip curling slightly. "I don't know how Robert looked, but he seemed to have beat you down pretty bad."

"_Patrick_," Riley, Rhuben, and Kacy said in unison, giving him glares.

"Just sayin'," Patrick replied, with a shrug. "Anyway, can we go now? I'm starving."

"Me too," Rhuben agreed, putting a hand to her stomach. "Can you believe they don't have a In-N-Out in New York?"

* * *

><p>"You made it," Dak said as he gave WayneWayne a quick hug. "I thought you wouldn't because of work."<p>

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, dude," WayneWayne replied, clapping Dak on the shoulder. "Break a leg out there, ok?"

"Noah and I have a bet that you choke at least once," Patrick said with a grin. Dak rolled his eyes but knew that he was being serious and supportive at the same time. "Other than that, how can you stand it out here? It's freezing cold!"

"It's different, but I like it," Dak replied as Sydney stepped forward to get a hug from him. He then spotted the gift in Riley's arms. "That for me?"

"No, Teen Icon, I bought this for myself," Riley deadpanned before handing it to him. "You can open it now if you like." Dak glanced down at the gift in his hands before looking back up at her. "I swear, nothing's going to go flying in your face." Dak ripped off the wrapping paper and held up the canvas, staring at the swirls of colors that created waves crashing on the beach. When he tilted the canvas back and forth, little specks on the beach shined. "Remember that project that Ronan had assigned to us? To make an oasis?"

"Yeah," Dak replied with a nod.

"Well this is yours, mate," Riley explained. "I noticed over the years that you go to the beach to think, so—just something to remember us Californians by when you're traveling the states."

"Thanks, Riles," Dak said with a smile, moving to prop it up into a chair.

"And these are for you," Rhuben said, pulling a bouquet of roses out from behind her back, handing it to him. "Kinda corny, I know, but still."

"I love it, thanks," Dak said as he took the flowers from her. "How have you guys been? I feel like I haven't seen you in years." He then looked over at Sydney. "Have you gotten taller?"

"Yep," Sydney said with a grin before flexing his muscles. "And check this out. Pat's had us going to the gym to get ready for performances and stuff all over again." He then frowned. "But Ronan cut out soft drinks." Dak winced. He knew how much they all loved to drink soda. "Yeah."

"But, there's some good news," Noah spoke up for the first time since arriving, rubbing his hands together. "We told our fans the truth about our past and about Robert." Dak's eyes widened. "And Rhubes told the press about you guys as well. We've gotten some backlash, but have gotten way more positive responses."

"Word on the street is that their next album is highly anticipated now that the fans understand the use of dark themes in their songs and everything," WayneWayne explained to his friend. "As well as every single song being put on this album they're writing about a different time in their life."

"We're calling it _Behind Blue Eyes_," Riley added with a 'What can you do' kind of motion.

"That's awesome guys, it really is," Dak said to his friends, giving them a warm smile. He then turned towards Rhuben and took one of the flowers from his bouquet and held it out to her. She gave a shy smile, taking it from him. "So, after the show…you wanna go out and get some ice cream? Or something?"

"Wow, you really don't waste a second, do you?" Riley asked, deadpan. WayneWayne elbowed her hard in the side. "Ow, what?"

"Let's just leave them alone for a while," WayneWayne suggested, taking her hand, leading her out of the room. Patrick, Noah, and Sydney hurried by them, saying something about getting snacks. "Rhubes, we'll save you a seat."

"Thanks," Rhuben called over her shoulder.

"When did that happen?" Dak asked, nodding at WayneWayne and Riley as they left.

"WayneWayne's been great support," Rhuben replied with a shrug. "I think they're just trying it out. Either that, or they're just trying to get WayneWayne's sisters off their backs."

Dak chuckled, knowing how crazy WayneWayne's sisters could be. But, he also knew that they weren't going to leave WayneWayne alone when it came to his personal life. "You should get going," he said, giving Rhuben a kiss on the cheek when he noticed the director starting to call everybody around him. "Show's starting soon."

"Ok, I don't want to hold anybody up," Rhuben replied making her way towards the door. "Break a leg; I'm sure it'll be great."

"See you at intermission?" Dak called after her. Rhuben gave a short nod in reply and his smile faded a little bit. "Are you ok?" Dak peered at her.

"I don't want to bother you with it right now, but I'm ok," Rhuben replied with a wave of her hand.

"Ok," Dak shrugged. "Catch ya later."

"Ok?" Rhuben repeated, giving him a confused look. "What do you mean 'ok'?"

"You don't want to talk about it," Dak replied with a shrug. "And I know you well enough by now to know that when you say that, you mean you want to be left alone."

"But—" Rhuben walked closer to him, and a smile worked its way onto her face. She remembered having the exact same conversation a while ago. "I don't want to."

"Suit yourself," Dak replied, relaxing into a smile as well. ak brought up his hands and moved his fingers through her hair. "What?" He watched as Rhuben's eyes fall shut at the touch.

"Nothing."

Dak brushed his finger over the cigarette burn mark on the back of her neck, before removing his hands from her hair. "You know I'd never do anything to hurt you, right?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Rhuben's lips twitched and she moved even closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "One of the _many _things I like about you, Zevon. And one of the things that make me find you irresistible."

Dak smiled before giving her a kiss.

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>So, I originally said this was 25 chapters, but after the last chapter, I really felt like it could end here. Thanks so much for all of you guys reading this fic. It had actually deviated from what my main plot was (think of the Degrassi episode with Craig when his dad comes back), and it didn't show a lot of the adults like I wanted there to be and I kinda felt like I put in drama for drama's sake, but all in all, I'm glad I finished this fic.<strong>

**Look out for a new Kiley (and kinda Kucy) short-story called _Two of a Kind_. It might just only be five chapters long. I also have an idea for a BTR fic, it might be centered around Kendall, might not be, but will be a BTR/DE fic, that I got after listening to Nickelback's song, "Never Again." I'm going to take a short break before uploading either of those two fics (I might do them at the same time because _Two of a Kind _will be so short). Right now, I'm thinking of taking a week off, but it might be shorter than that.**

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


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